—Restart—
by PulpFreeJuice
Summary: Originally from a war-ridden future ruled under Sasuke’s iron fist, Haruno Sakura comes back in time to make everything right again. Though changing the future is much harder than one might think. SasuSaku. Don’t own Naruto.
1. one

_Pulp's here! I have not been posting recently because I had nothing to post about. But I decided that I'd go back into writing fanfictions, and let me tell you now, Anything BUT Weak would have been longer, but that was just a test drive to see if I could keep it up, and eventually I did._

 _So anyway, I'll be writing this one. Hopefully it's longer and each chapter isn't too short. I have a thing for Sakura-Centric fics, and I just got out of a Time Travel story trance, so I think I've read enough to know how it works._

 _This new story is about Sakura coming back in time from a war-ridden future, not anything like the future the Canon story displays. Like always it will be SasuSaku because I will enjoy writing this, you hear me?_

 _Plus, I suck at anything else. Anyway, please enjoy. This story will be slightly AU, a bit OOC. Hopefully this isn't bad. Anyway, read up! No pics! Review please!_

 _Enter: Restart!_

 ** _—Restart—_**

She covered her ears instinctively as another explosion let off a million yards to her right. Even though there was space between them, she could still feel the sweltering heat radiating from those God-forsaken black flames.

She expertly dodged the vines snapping at her ankles and swiftly tilted just out of reach of the sharp twigs, not touching a hair on her dirty pink head.

Emerald eyes darted to and fro, veiled with noticeable paranoia as her boot slapped the ground, the wear clear as they squeaked when she went across.

Her lips were split, dried blood on the side of her mouth. There were tear stains darting down her face, still visible among all the caked dirt and sand.

Another explosion a few millions yards again, this time behind her. She pursed her lips, suppressing a choked sob. She tightened her hands around the sun-kissed package held gingerly in her arms as she rushed to get to the medical tent.

She could feel tears stinging her eyes; this time he had gone too far. A hole through her best friend's chest and gut, all he wanted to do was help. Naruto was innocent. But Sasuke...

She felt herself stiffen, as if he would come upon her at any moment.

Sakura didn't know what she saw in him. She was cold-hearted, vengeful, arrogant and condescending. He was insane. And sadly, also unbearably strong.

He captured all the Bijuu and they move under his command, killed Madara and Obito, and took over the Five Great Nations as a dictator, and everyone knows he won't be off the throne.

All they can do now is wait.

Sakura has seen her friends drop like flies to his iron fist, and watched revered and feared Ninja bow to his demands forcefully, scared for their lives. She's seen the true dangers of war, the tragedies.

She could only wish to die peacefully.

Another explosion to her left. Luckily it was too far away to be felt and the interval between the two was so large it seemed like the fight was coming to an end.

Most likely in the enemy's favor.

After a few more minutes of running, she finally saw the medical camp in the distance.

Covered in an intricate genjutsu, it only looked like more running was soon in order. But if you recognized certain patches of grass and intelligently placed rocks, you would know your destination.

Sakura quietly dispersed the illusion, her dirty fingers forming the correct handsigns and she rushed into the small area.

It reeked of blood and antiseptic, the floor still grassy and the walls smeared with red liquid. Bodies were sprawled on small futons all over the walking space, gaping wounds slowly killing them as too little medic mins rushed around, doing their best not to cry.

She raced to the back, where the emergency patients were held, and saw Ino and Tsunade working together on a man who's chakra was flickering, and soon...it was gone. The healing abruptly stopped and they just stared at the corpse blankly, almost as if they didn't know what just happened.

Quietly, so quietly in fact if she didn't have her training she wouldn't have heard it, Tsunade muttered, " _Burn it_."

Ino's usually cheery eyes turned an even darker shade as she robotically prepared get rid of the body.

Just another day in the life of a medic-nin at war.

"Tsunade-sama! Ino! Its Naruto! We _need_ to get him help!"

Their heads whipped over to her trembling form so fast she thought they might have whiplash as Ino roughly shoved the body onto the ground without remorse, as the only person capable of even touching Sasuke might slip through their hopeful fingers.

All three of them worked to gently but hurriedly stabilize Naruto, and Sakura could feel her eyes sting. Her stomach clenched as she listened to the heart monitor speed up. Her eyes widened and she worked faster, hands roaming his body jerkily. She repeated her mantra of ' _Don't go, don't go_ ,' as she rushed to save her best friend from the unforgiving clutches of the Shinigami.

It was weird, but Sakura felt herself relaxing as scenes from their past, before everything went wrong, played through her head. She let it a dry chuckle now and then, as what felt like the Fourth's son's life flashing before her eyes.

 _"Sakura-Chan!"_

 _She turned her head quickly to see the exuberant form of Naruto bounding up to her, his smile contagious. She couldn't help but let it infect her lips._

 _"Wanna go on a date with me?"_

 _"Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you I'm not interested?"_

 _"I'll never give up!"_

 _She out a short laugh as they started to catch up to Kakashi-sensei. She could see the village in the distance._

 _"Well, instead of a date, why don't we go eat out as friends? My treat!"_

 _She watched his face light up, if it could get any brighter, in excitement for the inevitable ramen he will be freely consuming._

 _"Yay! Thanks, Sakura-Chan! Ramen, ramen, RAMEN!"_

"-kura, _Sakura_!"

She snapped her head up towards her shisou, silently inquiring. Her face went down cast and Sakura felt her heart drop to her feet. She let her hands go down to her sides as salty rivers of despair flowed down her face.

 _He's gone._

She dropped to her knees, nerves jitterbug from the impact to the dirty floor, heaving dry sobs as rage welled up inside her. She pounded her fist against the ground and screamed a silent scream, and Ino drew circles on her back with her own tears, tears of hopelessness, falling from her eyes.

Tsunade went over to her prized pupil and pulled her into a hug, and watched as the tears drew clean lines down her overly dirtied cheeks. The pink-haired medic leaned into the hug instantaneously, grasping at her mother-figures shoulders.

"Sakura... _you need to complete the Jutsu_."

The green-eyed girl froze, and her eyes widened. Her tears halted and she looked up fearfully into her mentor's eyes. "I...I _c-can't_ do it," she reasoned. "I'm not strong enough. I'm not determined enough, I'm not healthy enough, I'm-I'm not- I _can't_ -" she started hiccuping as the tears started anew. The Slug Sannin pulled her into yet another embrace.

"You are the only one who _can_."

Sakura's eyes cast downward and she gulped. Of course, it could only be her. The nuisance. The useless one. The one who needs protection.

She reluctantly got to her feet, and intertwined her hands with Naruto's cold ones. Her knees started shaking, and she gripped him tighter, uttering a quiet prayer for his life.

 _'Naruto would have wanted this.'_

"Tsunade-sama. "

She looked up, determination hidden in those weary jade orbs. Tsunade felt pride swell inside her, as her pupil gave one last squeeze then let go.

"I'll do it."

 _[Restart]_

The brush glided softly against the concrete floor, making intricate symbols and designs. Sweat rolled down the girl's forehead as she persevered. _She would finish this seal._

Her cracked lips pursed as the smell of burning flesh overtook her senses. The nurses are burning the bodies again. Her eyes darkened gradually, as she thought how it would be her turn to set it on fire once more.

 _'I wonder if Naruto is in that pile...'_

Her brush sped up, and Sakura told herself that after this, everything would be better. After this, she would fix everything that went wrong. After this, there would be no war and there would be no death. She would be able to keep her friend's innocence, and save millions.

All on her shoulders.

She must save the world.

Her brush stopped abruptly as she finished her last digit, and Sakura stood up straight. She flashed through hand seals, the dark green jewel on her forehead elongating and disappearing, black lines crisscrossing against her rough skin. She felt her chakra reserves surge and deplete as the pattern took everything out of her.

They had been planning this for years.

And she would not mess this up.

The pinkette remembered the look on her face when she was told there was a way to travel back in time. In any other circumstance it would have been sketchy, but back then it was more normal than anything else in the world.

She remembered all the medic nins available depleting their chakra to do the Reanimation Jutsu, just so she could train with the dead and find out everything she would need to know. She remembered all the stealth missions she went on, going through rubble and finding salvaged books to educate herself on time travel and historical events.

Everything they had done for her, it all led up to this moment.

 _"Sakura-chan!"_

 _"Maa, maa, Sakura-chan."_

 _"Sakura..."_

She was abducted by a white light, and a tear escaped her eye.

She would change the past, and re-write the future.

 _[Restart]_

Turns out changing the past is a bit more complicated than she thought.

Sakura felt her body stiffen and twitch, before relaxing into the fluffy pink mattress she vaguely remembers having as a child. Her green eyes scanned her surroundings, and deduced that _yes_ , the Jutsu worked.

 _She would have a chance!_

The pressure of her responsibilities weighed down on her once more, though it isn't anything new. The 21-turned-12 girl shot out of bed and quickly made her way over to her full-body mirror.

In her reflection was a lanky girl with cotton candy pink hair flowing all the way down to mid-back, and large green eyes, full of innocence.

She couldn't help the tears that slipped down her cheeks. _Finally_ she has an opportunity to fix something, to _do_ something, anything.

 _'Let's see just how much I've degraded.'_

She thought to herself. She whipped out an extremely dulled kunai ( _was she really ever this weak?_ ) and with a bit of effort, cut along her forearm. As the blood spilled pain shot through her body.

 _'So no pain tolerance.'_

She then proceeded to create a chakra scalpel, and watched as it formed on her waiting fingertips.

 _'Chakra control is still impeccable.'_

She closed her eyes and focused on her chakra levels. They were meager, like that of a puppy's.

 _'Oh god. I've got some work to do.'_

She had apparently said this out loud, because she heard her mothers voice ( _she's still alive_!) call out to her. " _Sakura_ , you're still up there! You don't want to miss the teams!"

Sakura had a start, not expecting to her her long-dead mother's voice. "That's _today_?" she mumbled to herself. She left the front of her mirror and rummaged through her drawer absentmindedly, pulling out a red tank with the Haruno crest on it, her old green spandex shorts, and some ninja ankle boots with block heels she doesn't remember owning. The pinkette pulled her hair into a high ponytail and locked her light (way _too light_ ) weapons pouch and shuriken holster onto her hip and right thigh. She wrapped bandages onto her shins and forearms, not to mention knuckles and palms and pulled on some gloves spotted on her dresser halfway out the door. The whole time, her mind was somewhere else.

 _'If I were to change the future, what should I change? I'd definitely keep Sasuke in the village, definitely get rid of Orochimaru and that Curse Mark, see if I the Sound Invasion, show Sasuke the meaning of friendship and that there are two loyal Sannin he can still train under, stall the Akatsuki, hm...but if I change too much, I won't be able to tell what will happen next, and-'_

" _Forehead_! Long time, no see!"

Her musing was stopped as she turned her head to look over at Ino, in all her blond and blue eyed glory. She felt moisture coming to her eyes looking at her, in well health and innocent.

"Not really..." she mumbled to herself. Should she play along? No, she should fix her friendship with Ino now. Last time was much too late.

"Hey, Ino. You can have Sasuke. I don't want him."

The pinkette watched Ino falter, then regain her composure. "Just because you changed your outfit doesn't mean you'll have Sasuke notice you!"

Oh, yeah. She used to wear a red dress, didn't she?

Oh well, good riddance. "I'm _serious_ , Ino. I don't want to ruin our friendship over some boy. Please forgive me?"

She watched her friend freeze in shock, then put on a contemplative look. "...maybe, just because someone needs to tell you how to dress. Really, a _tank_? Your clothes don't match at all. We'll go shopping." She watched her friend's mouth stretch into a small smile. "See you later...Sakura."

The girl in question couldn't hold back her grin at the thought of her friendship with Ino being re-established. She watched her walking towards her old Academy building, and followed her closely, indulging in some innocent conversation, and soon they were walking through their classroom door.

"Sakura-chan! Sit with _me_!"

Sakura froze, tears welling up in her eyes at the sound of his energetic voice. Still so innocent. _Everyone's_ still innocent...

She quickly blinked them away and wondered briefly how to go about this. She _could_ sit next with him, but that would cause questions...maybe she'll just sit next to Sasuke.

 _Sasuke._

She glanced at him looking out the window, silently brooding. She didn't hold anything against him. Not this version of him. He was misled. He was always misled. Maybe she can change him for the better.

No, she _will_ change him for the better.

"I guess." She watched his face twist into shock than contentment. His crush was going to sit with him! He would be reveling in this for _days_.

Sakura slowly made her way down and sat in between Naruto and Sasuke. She felt the latter' eyes in her, trying to burn a hole into the side of her head. Instead of favoritism she kept her eyes in front, and hoped she wouldn't break down into sobs.

Slowly but surely, the day passed and it was finally time to announce the teams.

"...Team 7, _Naruto Uzumaki_ -" she watched him look up suddenly alert, "- _Sakura Haruno_ -" he jumped up and laughed,"-and _Uchiha Sasuke_." he slumped into his seat, depression rolling off him in waves. She let out a small giggle; his mood swings were so entertaining. "Your sensei is _Hatake Kakashi_." Her mood turned somber, as she remembered her old teacher.

 _"We need to split up."_

 _She gave an incredulous look to her teacher, who looked completely serious in his statement._

 _"Kakashi-sempai, we can still do this together, I--" an explosion let off to their right, tousling their hair and ash billowed over the ground, constructing their throats as they hid behind the large stone slab._

 _"We need to get Sai out of there. I'll be a diversion. "_

 _"But Kakashi's-sempai, I--"_

 _"This is for the best."_

 _"I don't want you to die!"_

 _"Sakura! Snap out of it! This is our mission, it comes with the job...I hope I'll see you soon. Live long for me, okay?"_

 _"O-...okay."_

 _He fled the scene, and she said a silent prayer as she went the other way._

 _That was years ago, and she still hasn't seen him._

"-ra, _Sakura-chan_!"

She looked up with a start and whipped her head around. There weren't many people in the room, and everyone was staring at her. She slumped in her seat. She needs to stop putting herself in these moods.

"S-sorry, Naruto...I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

 _'Oh, you know, just how to save the world.'_

"...Stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Shut up, Dobe."

"Gah! _Teme_!"

That was precisely the moment the pinkette tuned her teammates out.

 _'Hmm...the only way to get Sasuke to notice me in a more trusting light would be to build team spirit, and to show I have strength. At my current skill level I'm at least a low Chūnin but I have yet to see my taijutsu, so that could change in time...I'll help Naruto out with that prank, and make glaringly obvious changes in my lifestyle. Yeah, that'll work.'_

As soon as everyone else left the room, her blonde friend proceeded to whine about their sensei being late. Soon after, he snickered evilly and propped a chalkboard eraser into the wedge between the door and the wall. It was time.

"That won't work, Naruto." rehearsed Sakura, unknowingly beating Sasuke to the punch. "...let me help you add a little flare."

She watched smugly as Naruto's eyes shone with anticipation. " _Awesome_! You're so smart, Sakura-chan!" She chuckled apprehensively. Why was she so mean to him?

They talked out tactics for awhile, and gathered the necessary materials for their ultra prank. A smoke bomb, syrup bucket, paint balls and a whole lot of intricate wires later, they had their trap set.

They walked innocently back over to their seats, purposely distancing themselves and preoccupied themselves easily. Sakura pretended to read while Naruto might have actually fallen asleep ( _he always looks the same_ ), and soon they saw a fingerless gloved hand peek out of the door frame.

They grinned sadistically.

A lot of things then happened in quick succession. As soon as the eraser fell, the traps glinted for a split second, alerting their sensei of his danger, yet too quickly for him to react.

The smoke bomb attached to the eraser went off and covered his body in a black gas, so he wouldn't move. The water bucket came crashing down, and as Sakura and Naruto discreetly pulled on a string paint balls came at him from all directions, exploding in a splash of color barely visible underneath the thick smoke. When it cleared however..

Sakura smirked as she felt his chakra signature appear behind her just before the prank started, and all they would see would be a thoroughly vandalized Academy chair.

She was not proved wrong.

Sakura ignored Naruto's indignant shouts of shock and surprise as turned to her sensei, not even bothering to conceal her grin.

"My first impression of you guys... _I don't like you_."

The green-eyed girl smiled nostalgically; this would be fun.


	2. two

_Pulp again! So, I can tell people enjoyed that last chapter, and as always I am so very happy and I will continue this story with renewed vigor!_

 _I've been throwing some ideas back and forth in my head the past few days and I only recently decided on how I'd let the story play out in this next chapter. I won't tell you too much, but..._

 _At the beginning of each chapter now, there will be some text in Italics, this will be a flashback to her time back in the war. It won't really coexist with the way the story plays out so you can just skip it. Putting that out there now to avoid confusion._

 _Please read, review, and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism, while hurtful at times is what I'm looking for here. Hope you enjoy, and see you soon. This chapter will be a bit shorter, as I really need to strategize for awhile to get the event correct for the next chapter. Enjoy._

 _I don't own Naruto._

 _[Restart]_

 _"Rotation!"_

 _Sakura watched helplessly as her friend was once again locked in a spinning dome of chakra, deflecting all incoming kunai and senbon, making her range just long enough to lock the pinkette in it too._

 _Her long, silky bluish hair flowed behind her, milky lavender eyes transfixed on her performance._

 _Sakura felt tears coming to her eyes as she held the prone, cold body of Neji closer to her. Her legs were out of commission; too many fractured bones and ripped muscles, she couldn't move an inch without pain._

 _They were attacked out of the blue. It was a simple mission, really; go to Konoha and grab the necessary medicines and herbs, sneak around the tight security and dissolve any that interfere._

 _Looks like they were underestimated._

 _They had it in the bag; they were going to win but more and more just kept coming. The security got tighter, and there were just so many to spare. Soon she couldn't fight, and ruined herself, leaving her defenseless body to the dogs._

 _But again, someone had to save her._

 _The attacks were getting stronger. Hinata's chakra getting lower. The rotation taking longer._

 _Soon, she faltered._

 _It was just a tiny, almost imperceptible mistake; the slightest shift in her left foot as she almost tumbled over._

 _But the enemy took it in their favor._

 _In that moment, weapons of all kind rained upon them, covering up the sun with metallic clangs. Her emerald eyes widened, and she reached out to pull Hinata under her, reinforcing her joints unconsciously with chakra._

 _"Hi-_ Hinata

 _"R-Rotation!"_

 _Once again, trapped in the spinning blue ball as her friend from school (_ could you even call them that _?) took on the weapons all by herself. As soon as she stopped they pierced her in every possible place. Sakura remembered the moment perfectly; seeing the life drain from her eyes as she went down to her knees, and tumbled onto her side, dying slowly in a pool of her own blood._

 _Jade eyes darkened once more._

Yet another precious person died..because I was too useless to do anything myself

 _She quickly numbed her legs with medical chakra, and even knowing that she wouldn't get far, picked up both Hyuuga's bodies and repeatedly Shunshined to a safe place._

 _If there was any actual safe place anymore._

 _She mourned her savior in a quick, silent prayer as she continued longingly to reach the medical camp, to be assaulted by the smells of burning flesh and the air of disappointment, if only she could live a while longer._

 **—Restart—**

 _"one step at a time."_

"So, introduce yourselves."

They sat on the roof of the familiar Academy building, her old teacher lazily explaining how their meeting was going to work. She looked at him with hidden sully, trying her hardest not to break down in the presence of so many familiar faces.

She had already made a plan on how she'll approach Sasuke. Like she was supposed to, she'll gradually show her prowess after the Wave Mission, where it would seem like she was taken out of her mindset. That would be the most believable plan of action, but she still needs to repair the relationship between the entire team, so she'll contact Naruto and they'll make a plan.

Although, on the subject of the Chūnin Exams, hopefully by then they'll all be equals and Sasuke will trust her in the Forest of Death. Her mission _will fail_ if she lets him get the Curse Mark. There was no way she could break so many of his barriers while under Orochimaru's influence. He'd lash out.

But there's still the Akatsuki to worry about, she was hoping to get in contact with Itachi and tell him the truth, so he can take care of that terrorist group for her. Then there's Obito and Black Zetsu who she needs to seal, and if she finds a way to seal him, could she also seal Orochimaru? Or would that blow her cover? What if she fails in her attempt?

She also needs to keep Naruto safe, and Sasuke's Sharingan needs to activate under a positive type of pressure, and what about Pain's attack on the village? What about Sasuke's revenge in the first place? Will people see her as a prodigy? Will someone see through her facade? and-

" _You next, pinky_."

Her head snapped up and her fingers curled over her kneecaps a bit tighter. What was she supposed to _say_? She doesn't want them to see her as a drooling fan girl, she wants to have some sort of potential!

"My name is Haruno Sakura..my likes..."

 _Sweets. Medicinal studies. Boots. Poison identifying. Being useful._

"I'm not sure.I guess sweets, and reading...my dislikes..."

 _War. Death. Selfishness. Vengeance. Uselessness. Retreating. Failing my duties as a medic-nin._

"I don't know. I'd say...my dream would be to...to become a front-line medical Ninja, and protect my precious people."

'I _won't let them die because I was too busy crying over petty problems. Not again.'_

She felt the suprised gaze of Naruto on her, and she turned to him with a genuine smile. She watched his face heat up and explode with a foxy grin.

Kakashi-sempai— _or is it sensei now_?— looked deep in thought, probably not expecting that. "Front-line medical Ninja, huh? Only one person was able to accomplish that; will you? You're just a green Genin."

Sakura schooled her face, a determined glint in her green eyes.

"We were all rookies at a time, weren't we? Who's to say what I can achieve from here?"

Kakashi gave her one of his famous eye-smiles, and she was hard-pressed not to tear up. She hasn't seen him in so long!

"Well, now that we've finished the introductions, let's get down to our first mission."

She watched impassively as her blonde friend jumped up and down at the prospect of a mission, bombarding Kakashi-semp— _sensei_ with questions. He chuckled.

"We're going to have survival training."

"Survival training? We did enough of that in the Academy, didn't we?" She said, so as to not look suspicious. Not like she'd know anyway. She hasn't been in the Academy for over _10 years._

"This is a different kind of survival training. The Genin test was just to see who could have the chance to become Genin. This is the real test. There is a 66% failure rate, so listen closely. "

She felt Sasuke visibly tense next to her, his already intertwined fingers tightening. Naruto was an open book and began shouting indignantly. They quickly blew through the rest of the familiar scene, and Kakashi poofed away.

' _I need to get them to understand the point of this test..'_

She noticed that when their teacher left, he just hid in a tree, most likely to see how this next scene would play out. And it wasn't the most obvious thing, but years of war change you.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Wanna go on a date?!" She looked into Naruto's hopeful yet attentive blue eyes, and she watched his body imperceptibly coil in on itself in preparation to dodge, most likely her fist. She felt a pang of guilt at that.

' _What was wrong with me?'_

"Well, I'll have to decline the date, but how about we go out to eat as friends? We could also discuss this test we have tomorrow."

"Ooh! Okay!"

"Sasuke...kun, would you like to join?"

' _That was close.'_

"Don't take _him_ with us!"

"We're a team now, Naruto. And we should discuss strategy for this test tomorrow."

"Hn."

"To make it easier for you, Sasuke..-kun, as soon as we're done, you can leave. But as a team, we now need to work as a team."

"Yeah, Teme!"

"Hn, fine."

She smiled, at least they're getting somewhere.

"Where should we go?"

"Ichiraku's!"

"I'm down with that."

"Hn."

"It's settled then!"

"Aw, _yeah_!"

 _[Restart]_

Sakura's green eyes fluttered open, and she robotically started her morning routine. She grabbed the old dress she used to wear, but quickly tailored it, with a simple technique her mother taught her before her early demise, so the skirt doesn't go past mid-thigh. She grabbed the standard ninja sandals and put her hair up in a bun, keeping it steady with a quick senbon. She wrapped bandages around her hands habitually and was soon out the door.

 _'We're going to pass this test first try, and work on our teamwork. We can still put an impression on Sasuke.'_

She decided she had a few hours to spare, so the pinkette made a quick visit over to a nearby weapons shop.

"Welcome! How may I help you?"

"I'd like to buy a few packs of senbon, please."

"I'll get that for you. In the meantime, please look around!"

Sakura watched quietly as the nice man disappeared behind the back door, most likely to go searching for her order. She turned around and started skimming the items on the racks. Her gaze landed on two daggers.

The metal was pitch black, and the hilt was a leather dark brown, with pale pink cherry blossom decals on the sides.

She'd always wanted to dabble a bit in kenjutsu.

She took them off the rack and placed them on the service counter, patiently waiting for the man to come back with her needles. It didn't take long, and he looked surprised to see a pair of knives on the table as well.

"I'd like to buy these, too."

"Ah, you're a young kunoichi, aren't you?"

"Yes sir!"

"Well, I don't think I've seen anyone your age pick out a pair of _knives_ before. Tell you what, I'll give it to you half price."

"Sir, I can't allow you to do that! These look very expensive—"

"They are, but I can tell you're different from your generation. Use them well, okay?"

She couldn't help the small blush that crept up her cheeks. Different was the last thing she'd call herself at this age. Maybe different because she's just that weak compared to the rest of the Rookie Nine, but other than that...her blush came back full force.

"Th...thank you _so much_ , sir."

"Not a problem!"

She reluctantly, though not as much, placed her money on the counter and strapped her daggers onto the small hook on her pouch, mentally planning to invest in a belt for a future sword she can no longer refuse.

 _'Sasuke and Naruto should be there by now, we'll go over our different strategies once more. I hope Sasuke will be more cooperative after the Wave mission...or I just might be screwed.'_

She ran at a light jog all the way to Training Ground Seven, seeing that she didn't have much stamina nor endurance.

' _I'm going to train like a freak the DAY AFTER. This is ridiculous!'_

She saw her teammates in the distance, Sasuke brooding quietly with his back turned to her, and Naruto messing around with some traps he was told to make the night before. The latter saw her bright pink hair out of the corner of his eye and waved her over hysterically.

She let a laugh bubble out of her throat as she ran to meet up with her boys. She gave a brief greeting to Sasuke, who responded with a simple grunt, then kicked off her shoes and leaned over Naruto.

"Checking them last-minute, Naruto?"

"Yeah! I didn't want to set them up if you weren't here first."

"Good call, but don't think I wouldn't trust you with the amount you already pull. You must be an expert."

She watched him beam at the backhanded compliment before he started fiddling with the wires again, tongue sticking out the side of his mouth.

"And..done! Let's go set them!"

"Remember we scoped out the area late night yesterday? Do you remember all the areas?"

"Puh- _leeze_ , I'm a professional!"

She giggled at his antics before he scurried off to set the traps. She glanced at Sasuke, and took a small calming breath.

' _This isn't the Sasuke you know.'_

"Sasuke-k-kun, do you want to go over the strategies again?"

He scoffed, and she honestly couldn't blame him. She hasn't made the best impression, past and future. He probably thinks she's just swooning again.

"No."

"Do you already know them?"

"Hn."

"Recite them to me."

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, irritation lining his features as he stared at her slightly put-off features.

"I don't need to."

"You aren't going to be the one who ruins this for the rest of us. "

"I didn't want to work with you and the Dobe anyway."

' _I_ knew _this would happen.'_

"Are you still working with us? Because you never gave one clear answer last night."

"Go away. You're annoying. I can do this on my own. "

' _God, he's so easy to read. This teamwork thing isn't working. Oh well, plan B then.'_

"Let me get this straight. You're not working with us because you believe you can beat an Elite Jonin, ex ANBU? By yourself, not to mention you're not even a Genin."

"Watch your mouth. I'm still leagues ahead of _you_."

 _'Crap, he's right. I'm gonna blow my cover.'_

"Yeah..sorry, I-I got angry. Anyway, are you sure? It might be easier if-"

"Beat it, you're a nuisance."

' _Jackpot.'_

She schooled her features into one of shock, guilt, and then sadness. As soon as her face turned she went impassive and followed Naruto's chakra signature.

She found him playing with wire and smoothing out a pitfall in a large clearing. She called him over and he skipped to her side, inquiring.

"I just talked with Sasuke, he's not in the plan anymore. "

"What?! That blasted...!"

"Don't worry, I prepared for something like his after you guys left. He isn't going to be joining but we're going to make it look like he's part of the plan. We just have to wait at the last moment when he's about to be down for the count. He'll also grab the bells, though I hope he won't blow our cover from there. "

"You're so smart Sakura-Chan! So, what's the plan?"

She motioned for Naruto to come closer and she whispered into his ear, knowingly unknowing of the warm onyx gaze from up in one of the trees.

There was a slightly muffled 'poof' and Kakashi appeared among the smoke. Sakura wasted no time turning away from Naruto, hiding the fact they were ever conversing and standing up with him, shouting "You're late!"

"Ah, sorry. I got lost on the road of life." He replied cheekily, his tone indicating _zilch_ apology. She felt her eyebrow twitch.

' _I_ _never did get over this.'_

Their sensei-to-be pulled all alarm out of seemingly nowhere, and set in on one of the logs. She tensed; this test was one thing she _could not_ afford to mess up.

"This timer is set for noon. You will all be fighting in a no-holds-barred match, and your goal is to take," he held up a pair of silver bells, "-these bells from me."

"But there are only two bells?" She inquired, hoping to get it through Naruto's thick skull the true meaning of this exercise.

"Yes, whoever doesn't get a bell will be sent back to the Academy." He stopped briefly, letting it sink in. He wasn't disappointed.

Naruto's eyes had gone wide, his mouth hanging open. Sasuke's face remained impassive, though his eyes were slightly narrowed. Sakura was a mix between Sasuke and Naruto, but behind the shock in her eyes he could see determinedness.

She briefly glanced at Naruto; he was shaking, but she could tell he was struggling to rein in his excitement. She smiled and gave him the signal; a simple "Yep-" popping the p, "I won't lose here!" and he subtly got into a takeoff position.

"Ready... _go!_ "


	3. three

_Pulp is back with another chapter! I figured since I plan on going slow with these, I might as well rapidly update so it won't be a super long wait. Just know this fanfiction will be long! The conflicts wont start till later, and I mean like Chūnin Exams and Wave Mission, which actually isn't that far away later._

 _I was given a review on my last chapter on a different format by a certain kind-hearted someone who gave me praise on the realistic story development, and they liked how slow everything was going._

 _First off, thanks again! That's one of my first actual reviews that hit the topics I was looking for and it means a lot to me. Now, if you guys have any suggestions on how you'd like the story to play out, please put them down in the comment so I can check and tally them._

 _Seriously this story revolves around you guys so get cracking! Anyway, please review, and give me your take on how it is. See you soon, and enjoy._

 _She felt the soft thrum of medical chakra on her finger tips, and knew she was ready._

 _She repositioned her face mask, its plastic scent wafting up her nose, preventing the acidic gas from reaching her lungs._

 _She was kneeled over her patient, unmoving and ready to strike. Her scraped knees were digging into the rough ground, greeting images of the gravel in her rough skin._

 _She felt sweat trickle down her forehead and tried to even out her breathing. She could not fail this. Not after she'd failed so many. The same words every time._

 _She looked down at Shikamaru, and assessed his form._

 _Completely collapsed lungs, a large hole in his left kidney, along with one quick traveling poison, blood covered him head to toe. Littered with scrapes and deep gashes, cuts and bruises, he didn't look alive._

 _But she could faintly hear his heartbeat, after she picked it apart from her own beating in her ears, and she knew he still had a chance._

 _She could hear the clanging of metal and the sloppy thuds from colliding human flesh. She could hear the squelches and the screams, the electricity and the water, she could hear it all._

 _But she ignored it._

 _She ignored it in favor of sticking her hand in the hole in her colleagues abdomen. She ignored saving those innocent people in favor of saving one life that meant something not-so-special to her._

 _She ignored it all._

 _She ignored it so she could once again fail her duties as a medical Ninja; she ignored it in favor of trying one more time, hoping one more time, whisking one more time, that she could be more. She could be someone. She could help._

 _So she could help._

 _So she wouldn't sit around on the sidelines half heartedly mending broken bones, and watching fully as the light faded from their eyes, saying 'I trusted you. Why did you fail me? Aren't you one of the best?'_

 _She felt her eyes sting, but once again brushed it off in favor of failing to save another life._

 _Because really, that's all she could do._

 **—Restart—**

 _"change what I can"_

"Ready..go!"

We all shot off into the trees, Naruto included this time, and they met up in a secure place that Sakura picked beforehand. She brought her finger up to her lips, signaling silence towards Naruto in case he forgot.

He nodded animatedly, and she silently humored herself with feeling around him, and getting hit with the excitement rolling off him in waves.

' **He probably feels like a true ninja,'**

' _I-INNER! YOU'RE HERE!'_

 **'And I'm gonna wreak havoc. Nice to see you again Saku-Chan.'**

 _'It's great to see you again. Help me through this, will you?'_

 **'Of course.'**

She felt her second personality head back into the far reaches of her subconscious, till she was only a light, almost unrecognizable, pulsing sensation in the back of her head, one she had grown to miss quite often.

She smiled and turned her attention back to Naruto, who didn't seem to notice her drifting.

"Okay, Naruto. We're going with Plan A first for appearances."

"I'm not surprised you were right about the test being teamwork, Sakura-Chan! You're so smart!" He whisper-yelled.

There he goes again, stroking her nonexistent ego. She was sure it was a whole lot bigger back in the day, when she was just a drooling idiot playing ninja.

"You ready?"

"I'm ready, dattebayo!"

"Hide your chakra signature like I taught you...a little more..there you go. Now hold it like that. We're going to wait this out till Sasuke..kun goes down."

' **You better get used to that, and fast.'**

"H-how are you sure Sasuke-Teme will be defeated? I don't know, he seems pretty strong." the blonde admitted begrudgingly.

She had to hide a light snicker, their rivalry was still thriving. "Sasuke-kun is going up against a Jōnin, Naruto. And he isn't even a Genin. He has a long way to go. "

He nodded in serious, yet silly tenseness, and his attention went back onto their target.

She looked down at Kakashi, standing in the middle of a clearing; Sakura saw his chakra fluctuate as Naruto and her hid their chakra signatures; he most likely wasn't expecting that, less likely from the Dead-Last and the fangirl.

She has planned this very meticulously; she will show him that they are both diamonds in the rough, but if he's still too blinded to see that, then she'll leave him behind, and take Naruto's training in her own hands.

The silence was tense, not a word spoken, not a sound made. The only thing you could hear was the occasional glitch in the scenery; the rustling of the leaves from the sometimes wind.

She glanced at Naruto, and he returned her stare, exasperation and impatience, yet muted by determination, settling on his features. She turned her head sharply back to the clearing as a more deliberate rustling was made; looks like Sasuke was the first to lose patience.

He came jumping out of the shrubs, and Sakura felt her heart momentarily stop. This had to go perfectly. He had to be subdued. What changes would be made now that she changed the events? Naruto wasn't supposed to hide in the first place; what will happen?

"Shinobi Lessons Number One: Taijutsu."

She was snapped out of her reverie by Kakashi-sensei's—its sensei now, she must remember that—lazy drawl, as he blocked Sasuke's moves one by one, book momentarily forgotten. To her immense relief, it happened just it it had last time, Sasuke's fingers momentarily grazing the silver bells, the widening of Kakashi sensei's eyes as he pulled him into the ground to go look for his other students-to-be.

' _That will have to wait,'_

she thought snidely as she gave Naruto the signal to produce the clones. Two shadow clones silently popped into existence, before a transformation was put on them, one turning into Sakura, and a slightly disheveled Naruto.

She gave the clones the signal as she felt Kakashi's signature relax, he had picked up on them. They'll have just enough time to see if Plan A's a hit or miss.

Hopefully a hit.

The real Naruto and Sakura kept themselves hidden, and slinked through the foliage silently, only to emerge just out of the vision of one neck-deep Uchiha Sasuke.

He was fuming quietly, and didn't pick up on them. Soon, the pinkette was directly behind him and he hadn't had a clue.

 _'How should I go about this..'_

She pondered silently. She wanted to let them see a glimpse of her potential, nothing too advanced that she shouldn't know.

Maybe wrap a bandage around his mouth? Knock him out? She can't forget she's on a time limit..something extremely rookie...so...

She quickly shoved her hands against his mouth before he knew what was happening, and had Naruto digging him out. He struggled to no avail, and soon they had him tied up behind a large amount of greenery, convulsing and shouting muffled curses.

She and Naruto looked on without a hint of guilt, or just Naruto, she forced an uneasy expression on her face. Just keep this up till Wave, was her mantra so she didn't turn green.

She ripped her hands off his mouth and noticed a light pink tint on his cheeks.

' _Must be because of the lack of oxygen,'_

She told herself, and stuck with it.

"WHAT are you-"

"Shut up and hear us out, Sasuke-TEME!"

"Dobe"

"Aargh!"

"Ssh!"

She slammed her palm back over the raven's mouth, and gave the motions that she was about to speak.

"Sasuke-kun, doesn't this test seem a bit weird to you?"

' _I'll start out slow, hopefully he'll take the hint.'_

He glared heatedly at her, and looked mildly surprised when she brushed it off with a bit of forced effort.

"How can we, rookies, beat an Ex-ANBU Captain? The answer is simple; we can't. And he clearly doesn't expect us to. Beat him on our own or working together might not happen, but taking the bells...?"

She let her statement hang in the air, and watched a look of contemplation flash briefly into his eyes before it was clouded almost immediately by arrogance. She slowly removed her hand from his mouth to let him speak. He sneered at her briefly before answering.

"You I can work with, but the dobe will just slow me down. And even you are dead weight. I can do this on my own."

"And how do you expect to do that? He beat you once; what makes you think he can't beat you again?"

In a moment of rare wiseness from Naruto, Sasuke finally caved. As in, scoffed and turned his head. But she learned to interpret him and that means he was listening. She hid a brief smirk and leaned closer to the two.

"So here's the plan.."

She reached her chakra out and felt around for the boys' signatures, finding Sasuke's, feeling like ozone and cold fire, across from her in the large space between the her bushel, the grassy clearing and his, and found Naruto's, feeling like sunshine and optimism, above them in the trees, all of them hiding their chakra.

She knew the clones were already gone, most likely after Kakashi had underestimated her by leaps and bounds (though she couldn't really blame him), and landed a fierce hit on the Naruto clone. She could feel his chakra out, like a lazy river, agitated and slightly surprised.

He had to put in more work than he thought necessary and that irritated him, most like.

She saw him come back into the clearing and tensed, felt the boys' chakra signatures, while nearly undetectable after her brief tutoring session, still and stiffen.

"So, who's next? Or are you all going back to the Academy?" Kakashi accused, though she brushed it off, having taken this test officially three times.

She made the signal for them to start; a single cherry blossom petal floating through the air leisurely. She felt their signatures relax and hers tense up, for as soon as it hit the ground the grassy area was flooded in shadow clones, many transformed to look like Sakura and Sasuke, the rest like Naruto, and they charged him.

She reveled in the feeling of his chakra jumping, though he wasn't startled.

The three to-be genins of Team 7 stalked into the crowd unnoticed, and discreetly Subsituted themselves with the clones, getting closer and closer to the busy body of their teacher. As soon as they were close enough they continued their charging, Kakashi luckily not noticing the difference till he slashed at them without remorse and they didn't disappear. His eyes widened as Naruto and Sakura tackled him, taking the gash in full stride while Sasuke sidestepped and grabbed the bells.

He rolled to the side for a while, before coming to a stop on his back, breathing heavily by the continual loss of chakra.

Naruto was holding onto the slightly deep cut on his forearm, though it was nothing compared to what Sakura purposely threw herself in the way for, knowing what would happen.

Here was a clean and a bit deep gash running from her left forearm to her right hip, and she had to force herself to stop the impulse to inject medical chakra immediately.

 **'Speaking of which, we still haven't tested out all our tricks.'**

 _'Mm. Yeah, I gotta get to that sometime before Wave.'_

She held her mouth open in a genuine silent scream, the adrenaline slowly but surely leaving her system, leaving pain. Not unimaginable pain, but pain nonetheless.

Kakashi jumped to his feet in a blink, and had Sakura in his arms and running to the hospital and soon the boys were dashing after them.

 _'This could be my chance to show my interest in medical justu, if those nurses do what is expected of them.'_

Soon she found herself seated in a hospital bed, a brunette and easily forgettable medic-nin tending to her slash with glowing green hands.

She looked on with awe as the nurse mended her broken skin, and replaced the missing cells. Not too long after, she was done. Sakura noticed Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi sitting in chairs on the opposite side of her bed, the latter wearing a look of guilt that she managed to pick up with less than a fifth of his face showing.

She smiled kindly at him, a reassuring smile. She watched his eye turn up in relief.

"So...did we pass?" She asked timidly.

"We? Who gets the bells?" He added, to assure himself of his new team.

She watched in shock as Sasuke dropped one into an unsuspecting Naruto's lap, and the other tossed onto her bed.

"Hn, I did the least. They deserve them."

"HEH?! WE WOULDNT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO IT WITHOUT YOU GRABBING THE DARN THINGS!"

"I did the least. I literally got in the way. Naruto was the distraction and Sasuke-kun was the execution, I didn't do much."

"You were the one who came up with the plan in the first place."

"YEAH, WHAT TEME SAID!"

"Inside voices, Naruto."

"Hn, Dobe."

"GRR..hmph!"

She watched Kakashi-sensei's eye shine with happiness. Maybe he'll actually be happy with this team.

"You all pass."

"Hey, Sakura-Chan, wanna go on a date with me?"

She froze at the familiar question, and turned a sympathetic glance towards Naruto. The three new Genin were back at the Training Grounds, collecting any stray weapons or cleaning up unused traps.

Naruto has gotten tangled in rope for the third time now, with the same stupid grin on his face.

Sasuke worked in complete silence, but his stature told her he was pleased.

"Sorry Naruto, but instead what if we all go out for a group dinner? We're a team now, and we should get to know each other. What do you say?"

"With that brooding TEME?"

"Don't be too rude, Naruto. Sasuke-kun? Would you like to join our group outing? Or are you busy?"

"Hn. You're annoying. I have training to do."

"Want me to help?"

She asked absentmindedly; she didn't even take her focus off her cleaning of the stray kunai. She didn't mean for it to come out of her mouth, but her brain caught up with her much too late and she kept working while the other two stared at her incredulously. Soon she abruptly stopped and realized that was out of character.

The pinkette felt her face heat up, but she didn't take her eyes off her work. "N..never mind. You're never interested anyway."

She mumbled the last part under her breath quietly but loud enough to be in their earshot. Well, maybe just Sasuke. Either way he just scoffed and walked away. She forced a look of disappointment on her face before 'remembering' her awaiting dinner with Naruto.

She gave him an excited smile. "Let's hurry up, shall we? Don't want to stay out too late at Ichiraku's." She could tell he was confused at her sudden change in attitude towards him but she also saw how he planned to milk it till it went dry, which it inevitably will, right?

To this day, she still doesn't know what he saw in her. Just an average, failure of a kunoichi.

And really, that will never change. Her future will be riddled in times with her working in the darkness, Naruto and Sasuke putting up appearances in the light as she struggles to fix what went wrong.

Because really, what other way will it go? She is a failure; plain and simple. She will die protecting her country even if she is never recognized.

"AH! OF COURSE! Lets hurry, hurry HURRY!"

She watched him enthusiastically snatch up the kunai in order to eat food with her faster. She smiled forcefully and speedily handled her weapons, slipping them into her much happier weapons pouch.

' _I've got my work cut out for me. While I wait, might as well get one thing done.'_

' **Soon, we must seek out Itachi.'**

"You ready to go, Naruto?"

"Mhmm! Let's head out, Sakura-Chan!"

They both scrambled to their feet and Sakura momentarily pushed her weighing thoughts out of the way, and let a smile creep onto her face.

She can indulge in this just a little while, can't she?

 _Was it it good? It was shorter than the others but in the next goal is the Wave Arc and if I'm feeling motivated enough, finishing it. Though I probably won't. Hope you enjoyed! Leave a like, leave a comment, leave a review, or just leave. Give me your take on the story progression though!_

 _I need some suggestions on what you'd like to see in future chapters, future events you'd like to include in this, future plot twists and stuff like that so I can prepare beforehand and not skewer the plot._

 _Sorry about any spelling errors or stuff like that. Don't forget, i'm still just a kid._


	4. four

_Pretty much the same story for all the other chapters, but I may or may not be finishing the Wave Arc this chapter._

 _Speaking of which, last chapter the idea I got for the spamming clones came from a different fic, and I just couldn't let it stay there. It was too good of an idea, so credit goes to them._

 _I'll be using a few clever references from other gifs because they're just that good, so I'm saying this now: not everything in my stories are mine. All references go to them if you recognize it. Today's a slow day._

 _Without further ado, please enjoy this next chapter of Restart!_

 _She paused her looting when a rough scream sounded from her right._

 _Her hands paused in the dead man's kunai pouch; it seems like someone was in danger._

 _She wondered idly if they'll die soon._

 _With an inaudible sigh, she packed her findings into a nearby sealing Scroll and set the body quickly on fire, rushing over to the spot she heard the distressed screams._

 _She wandered into a clearing, pushing aside rouge sticks, cutting her hands, the pain shooting up her arms went unnoticed by her as he curiously peered through the bushes with dead eyes._

 _She was met with the sight of a wolf and its child; what she assumed was the mother huddled over their cub as they were beaten by enemy ninja._

 _With further investigation she deduced they were summons; she wondered why they were here._

 _It occurred to her as she saw the Scroll peeking out of the man's pocket; this was their summoner._

 _Why would a summoner beat a summons? For good? For pleasure? For grief?_

 _Either way it was not acceptable._

 _The only thing that processes in her mind was Enemy. Victim. Kill. Save._

 _She slowly pulled out a kunai, its noticeable glint canceled out by the foliage. She rushed out of her hiding place, taking the enemy by surprise based on the stiffness they showed._

 _She smoothly cut through the neck, and hit a pressure point in the chest, constricting the blood flow, and her enemy died a soundless, clean, blood-free death._

 _Her last thought before attending to the animals were why she was so much better at destroying than creating._

 _The wolves howled in appreciation as her hands glowed a soft, jittery green, and she placed it on their wounds robotically._

 _"You seem to be summoning animals. Why didn't you go back?"_

 _"Our home..it was destroyed.."_

 _'Hmm, so he's going after different dimensions too. Sasuke..'_

 _"I must thank you for saving us, Miss. Please, take our contract."_

 _She abruptly stopped her belated healing, and stared the wolf in the eye. Green clashing with blue._

 _"W-what? I'm a wreck. I can't take care of you-"_

 _"You won't have to. Just seal us, hide us. I don't want to live through this anymore."_

 _Sakura's eyes traveled downcast, negative thoughts plaguing her mind._

 _'Oh, how many times I've said that...'_

 _"I'll..I'll hide you. Just promise to be with me, alright? I'm not sure how this'll play out..."_

 _Sakura didn't know if the wolf caught the undertone, that she wasn't talking about their situation, but the war._

 _"Of course. What is your name, Miss?"_

 _She let her cracked lips form into a small smile, then dropped her muscles once more._

 _"Sakura Haruno. You are?"_

 _"Nanami. And my son here is Nami. We'll be in your service."_

 _Sakura pulled out the tattered sealing Scroll, that hopefully still works, and laid it onto the ground, she opened it up quietly and let her blood from a recent cut drop onto the yellowed paper, and wiped a bit of her new summons' onto the scroll, and they soon disappeared with a quiet poof._

 _As the smoke wafted away, Sakura let an empathy-filled tear escape her eye._

 _Maybe she can at least save them._

 **—Restart—**

 _"here on out"_

Sakura was finished applying the last bandage to her blonde teammates whiskered cheeks, silently fuming that she couldn't heal them and get it over with, when a thought occurred to her.

' _How long exactly am I going to be here?'_

' **Mm, you didn't bring anything that can send you back, did you?'**

' _Ah, no.'_

 **'You'll be here forever then. Why would you want to go back anyway? We're here to stay.'**

Once again the weight of the pinkette' mission crashed onto her shoulders and it was a bit harder to throw off as she realized just how long a time-frame this will be.

' _Ah, come on! How many more of these D-Ranks before Wave? I've been keeping track and Naruto looks like he's ready to burst! Get it over with already!'_

"You feeling better Naruto?" She asked in a motherly tone. Kakashi and Sasuke were standing behind her, the latter almost condescendingly as she was on her knees putting the plaster onto their teammates injuries. It was another mission to grab Tora, and Naruto went off on his own again to grab the demon cat.

She wishes she was more grateful as a child, because these D-Ranks were a great breather and allowed her to rest her weary mind. Though the setback was they were mind-numbing.

The fact that she had made almost no progress keeps grating on her conscious, and she almost wants to just scream. But that would be out of character. Combined with the voice in her head's occasional comments, she wanted a quick break.

Soon, they will have the Wave Mission.

Soon, they will have the Chūnin Exams.

Those were rather big points in their childhood, and she must change it for the better.

But Sasuke isn't making it very easy.

"You guys ready to go and report to the Hokage?" Kakashi-sensei drawled lazily.

Sakura pushed off the ground and brushed off the excess dirt on her knees. She turned to Naruto and offered a hand and a silent smile.

He grinned back and she pulled him up easily, even though she hasn't trained yet. "Thanks Sakura-Chan!" she gave him a thumbs up. "Not a problem!"

"Maa, maa, lets get going."

They walked in a comfortable silence towards the Hokage Tower. Well, at least Sakura and Kakashi did. The boys started another petty argument and Sakura unconsciously tuned them out, as she as learned to do over the years.

Their feet clacked against the gravel in the village of Konohagakure, and Sakura allowed herself a moment of relaxation. The wind blew her hair back and forth and the pinkette relished in the feeling. She let her guard down for the moment, wanting to enjoy it while it lasts. They were soon climbing the stairs, the familiar yet foreign stairs, in the Hokage Tower.

Kakashi knocked respectfully, and waited for the 'Come In' before entering with his team in tow.

"Team Seven, here to report."

The old Kage looked glad to see them as a smile appeared on his wrinkled face. "Yes, of course. I assume it went without a hitch."

"Not including the few screw-ups due to Naruto and Sasuke," insert scowl and indignant yell here, " yes, without a hitch."

The Sandaime laughed heartily, clearly enjoying the small break from the mounds of paperwork.

Sakura smiled as she felt Naruto's chakra signature become agitated. Looks like today was the day. Thank Kami.

"Hmm, what other jobs can I get for you? There's weeding a garden, babysitting,-"

"NO! NO! NO! NUH-UH! NO THANK YOU! I WANT A REAL MISSION!"

"Hm?"

"I DONT WANT TO DO JOBS FOR THESE LAZY CIVILIANS ANYMORE! IM A NINJA! AND I WANT A NINJA MISSION!"

Iruka-sensei, who everyone had disregarded until now, shot out of his chair and grabbed the boisterous blonde by the ear. "YOU IDIOT! SHOW SOME RESPECT! YOU'RE JUST A GREEN GENIN!"

"IM NOT JUST A LITTLE KID THROWING PRANKS ANYMORE! I'M MATURE! ITAI, THAT HUURTS!"

Iruka let him go roughly and she stared on, secretly blankfaced but put on a mask of concern.

"You're mature, eh...okay, I'll get you a C-Rank out of the village."

All heads snapped towards their leader, surprised he actually listened to the troublemaker. While everyone knew he had a soft spot of Naruto this was ridiculous.

"With all due respect, Hokage-Sama...are you sure about this?" inquired Kakashi nervously. He didn't know exactly what was going through the old Hokage's head.

"I hear your concerns loud and clear, but I am sure about this. Hopefully they get a taste of what being a ninja is all about. You all have an escort mission to the Land of Waves."

' **YES.'**

 _'YES.'_

"Ooh! Who is it, who is it? A feudal lord, a princess?!"

' _You're in for QUITE the surprise, Naruto..'_

"Send them in."

Sakura held her breath for a rough, tipsy old man to walk through those doors, but what she saw made her heart momentarily stop beating, yet she could hear her pulse in her ears. She tried to even out her breathing and keep her eyes steady, but they would just not focus on exactly what she was seeing.

 _'N-no way..changes are already being made? So quickly? Was it the bell test?'_

A tall woman, with bluish purplish hair flowing around her, in a pink shirt with a red collar and hem, and in a long navy blue skirt, walked out of the waiting room with a friendly smile on her tanned face.

Tsunami.

Instead of Tazuna.

 _Tsunami came instead of Tazuna._

Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the woman. What would happen now? This was a relatively large change in the way the timeline was supposed to play out.

 _Would the Demon Brothers still come after them?_

 _What about Zabuza? He can't be that easy to fool._

 _What about the entire mission? Oh my god.._

"Hello! I'm Tsunami, a super bridge builder. I need you to help me get to the Land of Waves to finish the bridge safely. A few bandits here and there, but nothing you guys shouldn't be able to handle!" She gave them yet another smile and she along with Naruto smiled back. Tazuna would've insulted him and he would be lunged at the ACTUAL bridge builder.

Though it makes sense, to send someone to play the target while the real victim was safe at home.

But was the lady _actually_ lying? At this point Sakura couldn't be sure..

As long as their soon to be enemies don't have a clue, then everything should work out fine.

Just fine.

The pinkette inaudibly breathed a sigh of relief, keeping her face straight as she listened to the mission details.

She sat cross-legged on her bed, thinking over the new information she was just given.

Tsunami has taken Tazuna's place, and by how everything else played out nobody knows a thing and neither should the bandits.

 _'How exactly should I go through this? I'm using this situation to 'open my eyes', and then I'll be free to train. Though most of my training in public will be with various sensei's, my training in private will have to wait till I can find a suitable playground.'_

Okay...okay! Her thoughts were arranged, and now she's at peace. Time to pack.

She slid her feet out from under her and hit the floor with a low thump. She began periodically ruffling through her drawers and her closet, picking out a few things and stuffing them into her backpack.

 _'This is my first big change in the timeline..hopefully it all works out in the end..'_

 **'Hmm...how would you describe your future behavior during this mission?'**

 _'Shocked most of the time, frozen in place and useless when I can be, grief-stricken. Hopefully contemplative all the way back to Konoha to seal the deal. Remember, I'm using this as an eye-opener. '_

Sakura threw in a small med-kit for fun as she zipped the backpack securely and slung it over he shoulders. She slid her feet into her Ninja sandals before hearing a familiar voice echo through the halls.

"S-Sakura, you have a mission?"

Her eyes widened partially at the sound of her long-deceased mother's voice once again. She remembered how she beat herself up over the death that was completely her fault, and felt her lungs contract as her train of thought went that way.

She decided to save a comrade instead of her own _mother._ A comrade that didn't even _last the night,_ while her mother was healthy.

 _She was such a fool._

And she never really was that close with her mother, as she never supported the idea of her becoming a kunoichi, even less since it was for a boy.

They fell out, and Sakura classified that as one of her biggest mistakes.

Even so, some things need to be sacrificed for the mission. Hopefully she'll find time to reacquaint herself with her mother.

She gave her a large smile, and watched as her forehead crinkled with worry as she fought to stop the tears the pinkette could see shimmering in her motherly eyes.

"Yup! And I'm going to come back safe and sound!"

"Ah...be safe."

She plastered on a grin, pretending to be stupid for her own sake, and stomped out the door.

 _'The world is more important than a forgotten relationship.'_

She was met with the sight of an all-out brawl with the two younger boys of Team Seven, Tazuna and surprisingly Kakashi watching nervously. She called out to them hurriedly and everything stopped as the boys quickly unlatched themselves, why she didn't know.

' **Kakashi-sempai always said we were the glue that held this dysfunctional team together.'**

' _I didn't think he was this serious about it, though. '_

By the time she reached the team it looked as if they were just standing there quietly the whole time, and she would have thought that had she not witnessed the previous scuffle.

"You're late." stated Sasuke stoically. She glanced at him shrewdly, wondering what exactly she saw in him.

 **'This isn't our Sasuke, you'd do well to remember that. With this second chance, we could fall in love all over again.'**

 _'W-WHAT! I'm like 8 years older than him!?'_

' **Not. Anymore. Keep that mindset; it'll do you good in future escapades.'**

 _'I see you still haven't gotten over Sasuke.'_

 **'Well, I'm just a manifestation of your bottled up feelings; you haven't either. For good reason, he needs you. Just..be there for him, before you screw up your mission in the process of ignoring him.'**

' _Hmph.'_

 **'He is a key point in the events in the future, better keep him on a leash.'**

Sakura hadn't realized that her conversation with Inner Sakura was becoming rather long and drawn out, leaving her to stare at Sasuke with glazed over eyes after what was a rather pointed glare.

She could see his discomfort and soon broke the gaze, turning on her heels and began walking out of the village. She heard Naruto scramble after her and felt Sasuke's intense stare on her back.

The Wave Mission is starting.

No room for discomfort.

 **END OF CHAPTER 4**

 _Mm, I decided to leave you guys hanging in this chapter. Aren't I the best? A bit short but it's fine. Anyway without a doubt I will be starting the Wave Arc in the next chapter, just let me get my thoughts together. If you haven't already noticed I try to update at least once a week, this story if not anything else at least._


	5. five

[restart.]

 _I'm back with another chapter. Sorry for the wait, I was procrastinating and I was looking for ways to separate the story._

 _Anyway, not much has been happening, but this chapter is the start of the Wave Mission. I'm going to add some SasuSaku scenes and crap throughout the entire story so prepare yourself. I can also put in some minor ships if you ask me to._

 _Without further ado, next chapter of Restart!_

 _Oh, by the way, Happy SpoopyTime!_

[restart.]

 _She felt a dull throbbing in her chest as she tried to calm her breathing. She fisted the long grass under her feet, trying to find peace of mind._

 _She made sure to cover up her blood trail, and let herself fully recline on the bark of the old tree. She felt her back lightly protest as the dried, sticky blood on her back, kept her form in her tense state._

 _She let herself absentmindedly finger the left side of her chest, silently contemplating what to do._

 _A gaping wound through her abdomen from a sword piercing through her skin flaunted itself as her shaggy breaths began to quicken._

 _She was out of chakra._

 _She didn't have peace of mind._

 _She didn't really want to live._

 _So..._

 _She let medical chakra flare to her fingertips. She'd stop her heart; a simple, plain way to die. Plain just like her._

 _No one will miss her, right? No one truly loved her anyway. A peaceful escape..._

 _A cowardly escape._

 _The pinkette let the already flickering green hue completely die out as she let go her hold on her chakra._

 _She was no coward._

 _She's made it this far, she can make it further!She moved her fingers from over her left chest to hovering over her lower abdomen, numbing the pain and clotting the wound._

 _All she could do now was lie in wait._

{ involuntary help }

—Restart—

"involuntary help"

{ involuntary help }

Their feet made soft contact with the dirt road on the civilian path they were forced to take. Sakura wanted to let her eyes dart back and forth, to reach out with her chakra and find out exactly how close they were, but she couldn't. Not with them around, not to blow her cover.

The wind blew her hair out of proportion rather quickly, and Sakura felt fabric brush up against her legs, as she decided to wear her impractical red dress to make the statement 'I'm weak.'

She impatiently blew a strand out of her line of vision as she continued onward. Just like last time, she was left to take care of the client, and the emerald-eyed girl couldn't really blame them, as she was serious deadweight right now.

She let her hand brush up against the uneven bark of the tree as she reached out to feel the chakra circulating in it. She looked up; the skies were as blue as ever, not a cloud in sight.

' _Okay, that's a good sign.'_

She inconspicuously grazed the ground with her feet. It was dry, not slick at all. Rather easy to kick up dust, too.

She sneaked a few glances at her team; Sasuke's eyes were darting to and fro, and she watched him tense slightly as she purposely made her gaze heated just to mess with the Uchiha.

She soon shifted to Naruto, who was oblivious to his surroundings and quietly sulking. Why, she couldn't figure out at that point.

 _'Stay alert, Sakura. This mission will be the real start of_ your _mission.'_

She kept her eyes forward, occasionally allowing an innocent glance at her surroundings. It was a bit quiet. Didn't she say something to lighten the mood? Oh, yeah.

"Kakashi-sensei?" she asked innocently. The pinkette watched his eyes switch from watching the road to focusing on his kunoichi.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Does Wave have any Ninja?"

' **Psh, no.'**

"I don't think so."

They made polite small talk, with Tsunami butting in every now and then, and Sakura could see her teacher's attention drifting from her to their surroundings, as he probably sensed the oncoming chakra, too. She let the conversation drop and allowed his full attention on their presumed enemy.

' **The Wave Mission is officially starting.'**

' _Yeah.'_

 **'Remember, you've changed the past already. Be prepared for something to go wrong.'**

' _I just can't believe changes are being made this early..'_

I felt my foot step onto something deep, and there was a small splash as I hurriedly pulled it out. It was a muddy puddle. Her eyes widened. She quickly wiggled her foot in a casual fashion and hit back on track with the others. Sakura noticed they all gave her one more backwards glance.

' **Yeah, to make sure you're still alive,'**

' _Yeah yeah.'_

"You okay back there?" Kakashi asked lazily. She glanced up at his retreating back and let her eyes once again start shifting all around them. "Mmyeah, I'm just fi-"

At that moment kunai and senbon all aimed for their client raineddown upon the group in quick succession. Sakura, not thinking clearly, jumped back in front of Tsunami and began deflecting and dodging the oncoming metal, letting some graze her and open up a cut while she sent numbing medical chakra coursing through her body.

She watched in the corner of her eye as Naruto froze up, scared because he wasn't expecting that or scared in general, she didn't know. She risked a glance at Sasuke, with weapons strewn all over the ground around him, kunai in hand and his eyes darting to and fro, waiting for their enemy. And Kakashi-sensei wasn't doing any better.

"Who's there?" He shouted. Sakura felt a shiver go through her at the sight of the time line changing again.

Two figures jumped down from the trees, and Sakura's heart skipped a beat.

There, in front of them, were none other than Zabuza and Haku.

' _No way,'_

 **'Where are the Demon Brothers?'**

"We're only here for the bridge builder.

Give them up." Zabuza growled threateningly.

' _Oh good, at least he doesn't know that this isn't the bridge builder.'_

 **'Actually, what if it is? We can't count on any information that we earned before coming to the past anymore.'**

 _'Shoot.'_

"Well, that won't be happening. Sakura, up your guard. I have a plan." Kakashi said, not even looking back at his 'young' kunoichi. She brought up two kunai with 'shaking' hands, before the girl calmed herself and fixed a steely gaze on their opponents.

 _'Okay, we're going to have to wing it.'_

That was her last thought before everyone lunged at her. Her eyes widened imperceptibly before she proceeded to get Tsunami out of the way by means of pushing pulling and shoving as her team engaged in combat, Naruto falling out of his stupor sometime between.

"Come Tsunami-San!" Sakura called out quietly as she pulled on the woman's wrist once more and led them behind a tree. The kunoichi hurriedly set up leaves and bushes to hide their client while sneaking glances toward the fight.

Sakura was soon finished and gave the 'bridge builder' one last warning not to leave before she herself leaped into the fight.

She blocked a senbon coming to Sasuke just out of his range with a quick kunai and touched backs with him, faking her heavy breathing and frantic eyes.

"Sakura! What are you doing? Where's the client?!" The Uchiha demanded heatedly.

"D-don't worry, Sasuke-kun, they're safe. I-...ok I'll back y-you up. " the pinkette said, tripping over her words purposefully while blocking more off-course projectiles with feigned skill.

She felt his glare on the back of her neck and turned her head to smile hesitantly at him, plucking a kunai out of the air infront of him.

"Just fight. I've...got your back." she assured him, handing the kunai with slight impatience. He turned his head quickly and went back to asses the enemy, Haku, as Naruto and Kakashi were separated from them by Zabuza.

 _'Their plan was probably to divide and conquer. Too bad.'_

"Just give us the bridge builder, I don't want to fight you all." Haku asked them politely. The two Genin shared wary glances, but came to a decision to stand their ground easily. She watched Haku shake his head remorsefully before he sprinted towards them.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered raggedly, "I can't trust myself in a fight like this. I'll be your back-up, you engage them." Sakura whispered with vigor as she began taking steps backward to assist on the sidelines as Sasuke came at them with around the same speed, maybe a bit less.

She felt the mist pile up thickly as the clangs of metal against metal from all around her became distant. She quickly checked her chakra levels; full. Checked her weapons pouch; healthy. Checked her state of mind; a bit cluttered, but she'll make do.

Sakura deduced herself ready to engage the enemy and sprinted out of the boys' line of vision, and she could tell Haku was considering trapping the boy in the Ice Mirrors, as his colleague has 'fled.'

 _'Not quite,'_

She thought quietly to herself as she silently slipped her metal toys out of her pouch. She watched with a critical eye as Sasuke was periodically lured into getting draped in senbon, and soon he was trapped in the Demonic Crystal Ice Mirrors.

 **'Our time to shine!'**

' _You're so loud.'_

She flicked her wrist in quick succession, and with one well aimed kunai and a few blend in senbon, none of the needles hit any of Sasuke's vital spots.

 _' I got that one from TenTen,'_

She thought idly as she took off towards the battlefield and stopped just outside the mirrors. Sasuke turned to her in shock, and she knew he wasn't expecting her to help at all. Haku ignored her.

Sakura channeled a small amount of chakra to her fists and punched a mirror close by, and now it had an imperceptible crack.

' _If my calculations are correct, the mirror is technically damaged and he can no longer use it. Which means he now has a blind spot.'_

She continued punching all the mirrors, showing exasperation all over her face, while inside she was chuckling. Literally, Inner was chuckling.

She punched the last one on the bottom row, and jumped back, having ignored Haku's small in-battle speech as he began to fling the senbon. Sasuke tensed and waited for the impact, having realized there was nothing he could do. But just as Sakura predicted, he noticed that all the mirrors on the bottom row were lagging. With the reflexes of a self-esteemed prodigy he crouched into a push-up position, switching now and then to avoid the senbon raining from the top of the dome.

She saw him smirk at this new discovery. "Sakura!" He called out. She 'jumped.' "Y-yes..?"

"Keep punching the mirrors on the second row! I think I found a loop!"

Sakura saw her cue, and began articulating chakra into her punches of the mirrors that were just out of her reach, having to jump on the ones from the first row to reach the second.

She quickly maneuvered, jumping from mirror to mirror, saving just enough time to make minor slips and punch some glass. She was soon done, and called out in the mist, "Third row, too?"

"Go as far as you can!"

She leapfrogged off the first row mirror and latched on to the second as she pulled herself up with nonexistent upper body strength. She was cursing her younger self by the time she managed to get up.

Once again she began the exhilarating procedure of sprinting around the mirror dome in circles, making leaps of faith to get to the next mirror in time as Sasuke found more and more ways to evade the senbon coming at him from only above, now. He was silently hoping that she'd reach the top soon, but that wasn't long as soon the mist cleared slightly, a sign this man's partner was drifting, and Sasuke saw Sakura swinging from mirror to mirror, reducing her contact with them to mere flicks.

She soon made her way to the top and took down the overhead glass with a swift axe kick. Glass shards rained upon them and Sakura made her way back to the edge of the enclosed battlefield, her job done. She was panting heavily, having never gotten used to her physical state as she half-listened to Sasuke and Haku barking at each other, the former prideful at the fact he was able to find a way to evade the latter's attack.

Soon Haku stopped mid-reply, and flashed away. Sasuke fell to a quick knee and began the tedious process of plucking the needles out of his body once the mirrors around them shattered, making him assume they fled.

Sakura came running to his side, half sprinting, half sliding on her knees to take a stop at Sasuke and help him with plucking the needles out.

"Thanks," he grunted out of the pain. Thanks for helping him win or helping him with the needles, she did not know. Though he might have done this on purpose.

Typical.

"I'm glad I was able to help," the pinkette added with a smile. That smile soon vanished on her lips and her eyes darted to and fro around them. "We should go find Kakashi-sensei and Naruto. If they're in danger we need to help. How are you holding up, Sasuke-kun?"

He grunted in an affirmative tone.

"Okay," Sakura started talking to herself. "We don't have time for bandages; you'll just suck it up. We can apply first aid when we find a safe place to stop. You go ahead, I thought I heard a scream northwest. I'm going to get our client. See you there."

She quickly helped Sasuke up, as in, touched him and he says he's fine as he proceeds to stumble, and she made sure he was heading in the right direction before she left to go and grab Tsunami. She didn't know what she would do if the mission failed because of her idiocy. Though she used the evasion skills acquired in the war to hide that woman, so it should be fine.

And she was not proven wrong, as when she reached the area she hid their client in, there was an imperceptible rustling in one of the many shrubs. She took off a clump of leaves to see a smiling Tsunami staring back at her. Before the woman could speak Sakura dispelled any henge, genjutsu, or illusion that could have been on her, and eyed her calculatively.

After deducing this woman was in fact real she sighed in relief that she hadn't single-handedly botched the mission, and apologized profusely at her rash and rude actions as she helped the woman out of the bushes. They walked back over to where Sakura could sense a slight scuffle to find Naruto and Sasuke duking it out with Kakashi resting on one of the large trees. Everyone stopped as they saw the kunoichi of the team return with the client, as Naruto glomped her and began bragging about his battle and Kakashi ruffled the young girl's hair and complimented her on her protection of the client.

Sakura could tell he had no idea about her large part in Sasuke's own battle but didn't think too much on it, as she was expecting every part of the hidden accusation when she came back in time.

As Tsunami explained the real situation to the group Sakura wrapped bandages around her bleeding knees and knuckles. At least she now knew Tsunami actually wasn't the bridge builder. Naruto noticed this and bounded up to her, asking bluntly and loudly about how she got hurt. The pinkette got the hidden memo that he didn't think she would be doing anything and wasn't phased.

"Well, Naruto, I was punching most of the battle with Sasuke." she explained cryptically. Kakashi turned slightly worried and surprised eyes over to her. "You were in Sasuke's battle?" Sakura gave him an unimpressed look, expressing 'you really said that to my face?' Through her stare. He looked away in slight guilt. So, she answered. "Yes, by the way. Anyway, we should find a place to rest."

Tsunami put in her five cents here. "Ah, of course! My house isn't that far from here."

Sakura handed the rest of her bandages to Sasuke, silently criticizing his wounds and was relieved when she saw no colorful tint near the scratches before they were covered in white. She turned her eyes forward and slowly coaxed herself back into her facade of a shallow girl.

Soon, they were on the water, the thick mist twisting and billowing casually around them. Sakura breathed in the clean, cold vapor as she tried to calm her mind. She could feel it lapping at her face as they rode in silence, the only noise was the dividing of the water as they made their way across the water in a tense silence.

Sakura fiddled with the edges of her qi-pao as she thought on her recent discoveries.

' _If I play my cards right, I could possibly start training as soon as we get there.'_

' **True that. But since we encountered Zabuza and Haku before now, will we still meet them at the bridge?'**

 _'We better. I can't stand this weak body anymore. As soon as we get home I'm contacting Nanami-sama. Maybe I'll do my training with them.'_

' **A Reverse Summoning, eh? I like the way I think.'**

"This is as far as I can take you. Stay safe."

their driver noted gruffly as he ushered them all off quickly. The group stumbled onto land and before they could blink the man was already driving away.

"Pushy," Sasuke noted with a bit of contempt. Sakura took note of his willingness to state his mind. Kakashi sighed and she couldn't tell who it was directed towards; he was elusive like that. "He's just doing what he has to do. Come on guys...let's get moving. " he ordered casually, and 'I wonder if he'll fail his team in this timeline too' was a brief thought that crossed her mind before she pushed it out. What happens happens.

Slowly but surely, to make up for the small glitch in the timeline, Fate set up many different meetings with the bandits they were told they were going to deal with before the mission started, which they never actually got to last time.

' _Interesting.'_

"Was that the last of them?" Sasuke asked sarcastically, seeing how Kakashi was panting from exasperation after getting rid of the newer ambush. By himself. But Sakura knew better; she could see his chakra decline clearly.

"It better have been. Sorry...guys..." he teetered dangerously, and unceremoniously pooped face first onto the ground.

' **That looks much worse than it did last time. Did he break his nose?'**

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto screamed in his shock. Sasuke looked visibly frightened at the sight of their strongest player being defeated and Sakura put on a brace face, but made sure to show internal grief in her eyes as she steadied Kakashi on her shoulders, a silent request for one of the boys to grab his legs.

"Sakura, you're too weak to carry him. Guard the client." Sasuke stated bluntly, looking her in the eyes before promptly taking the reins from her. She couldn't hide the genuine shock in her eyes at this admission, even though she's been silently conditioning herself for the blow.

She looked him straight in the eye for a few seconds, feeling Naruto's chakra fluctuate awkwardly and uncomfortably on the sidelines as they prepared to lug their teacher away.

"I see...good luck with that weight, by the way. Naruto, may you grab his legs?" She said, politely putting off Sasuke as Naruto lunged at the opportunity to escape the awkwardness. Even so, the tense silence continued as they trekked off to Tsunami's house, Sakura spinning a kunai on her index finger and wondering just how much longer this underestimation will go on for before she snaps, and Sasuke brooding.

They soon reached the house, and they laid Kakashi in a guest room. The boys left to go and eat, another competition most like, and the pinkette stayed behind to tend to Kakashi. She was itching to lay a diagnostic Jutsu, but she has taken extreme measures to make it this far. Sakura won't screw up now.

So she complied, placed a simple wet towelette on his forehead, and waited out the storm. She watched his prone form sadly and tuned out the screams and shouts from the lower floor and tried to keep her thoughts off her teacher.

Soon light padding of feet on the old tatami mat was heard, and Sakura let her sharp green eyes peek out to a see a head of raven hair crouching over their teacher. She stared at him silently for awhile, as he kneeled there, assessing their teacher's face as he placed a new wet towelette on his head, discarding the old one with a small 'tch.' And this time, she couldn't really blame him.

She let her toes crinkle inward as she heard much louder, and quicker padding from the door. Sasuke immediately stopped what he was doing and unceremoniously plopped the wet towelette on his teacher's forehead, resulting in a small grunt from his part.

Naruto burst through the door and immediately began yelling at Sasuke, showing no care for the 'sleeping' body of Sakura and the sick form of his instructor. After the bickering got too much for the pinkette to listen to, she reluctantly got up from her warm spot, silently padding over to her sensei and repositioned the wet towelette, sending Sasuke a meaningful look as they both stopped to see her.

"Thank you, I was inattentive, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn. Pay attention."

"Sakura-Chan! You're awake! Agh! Look, Kakashi-Sensei!"

Sure enough, Sakura felt a slight rustling underneath her fingertips and watched as Kakashi pulled himself up silently and held onto his forehead to keep the towel in place.

"You're so so loud, Naruto.."

"S-sorry."

"Are you feeling okay, Kakashi-sensei?"

She took the towel from his hands and scurried of to the corner of the room to twist the towel and force the water out before plopping it on the rim of the bucket. She dried her hands on the sides of her spandex shorts as she walked back towards the group.

"Zabuza' partner and he got away. Though in a moment of desperation he had to weaken Zabuza with a senbon to a pressure point in the neck; he'll be out for a week. "

 **'Funny how things work out.'**

' _Wonder when my luck will run out.'_

Sasuke and Naruto looked generally surprised. "Ah, I thought he turned on his friend," Naruto said, scratching his cheek. "Hn. So we have a week to prepare," Sasuke responded, looking generally excited at the concept of fighting them again.

' _This team will always attract danger.'_

"What should we do? You're out of commission, sensei, so should one of us take over training?" Sakura put in her respective five cents. She earned a few sideways glances from her team but otherwise her comment was considered.

"I've got it," Kakashi announces suddenly. "I'm going to teach you one thing; then Sasuke will take over with your training. Can you handle that, Sasuke?" The boy in question nodded quickly.

They went through their plans for the week, and soon Kakashi and Naruto were downstairs enjoying their dinner. Or for Naruto, second dinner. Sakura and Sasuke stayed behind, the former folding the futon Kakashi slept in and rearing all the others when they go to sleep while the latter was sharpening kunai. The pinkette sent the boy a sneaky glance, and sighed quietly. She was too good of a person to not do this now. Plus, the incessant scraping was not only grating the kunai, but also her nerves.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"I just wanted to apologize if I made you angry in any way; though it _probably wasn't_ my fault, I still feel obliged to do this."

"Hn. _You're saying it's my fault_."

"Was there an _issue_?"

' **Clearly.'**

"No."

"You sound defensive." She muttered quietly to herself.

"You're annoying me. Shut up."

She snorted at that. "Okaaaay.." she said sarcastically, and walked out the room, spirits lifted a little higher.

Tomorrow will be a busy day.

{ involuntary help }

 **END OF CHAPTER 5**

{ involuntary help }

I _spent all day writing this in small bursts. I went on a road trip so I had the entire day free, except for the occasional lecture (we went to a conference)._

 _Hope you enjoyed! Leave a like, leave a comment, leave a pumpkin in celebration of SpoopyTime, or just leave. Actually, forget the pumpkin. I don't celebrate Halloween anyway._

 _Sorry for any spelling mistakes, remember I will be taking a few ideas I got from reading other fanfictions and putting them in this fic so credit goes to them okay?_

 _By the way, my interim for school will be coming out sooner or later. Wish me luck, I haven't been studying._

 _Have a nice rest of your day! Or night._

 _Happy SpoopyTime!_


	6. six

_Pulp is back and ready than ever to start the newest chapter of —Restart—!! It's finally coming through and I'm very happy about that fact._

 _Sorry about any spelling mistakes, I seriously am working on that, and enjoy this latest read._

 _"Just die already, you worthless medic!"_

 _Her head was plunged under the freezing cold liquid, she felt all the air rush out of her body in one swift movement as her senses were attacked._

 _She felt herself hyperventilate, allowing water to invade her lungs, the unbearable salty flavor of ice-cold liquid flowing down her throat made her gag._

 _She thrashed, but their grip on her arms and legs tightened and she felt them push her deeper into the water._

 _Her eyes burned from the stinging contact of saltwater on her sensitive organs and she could feel tears welling up in them, but being washed away by the liquid._

 _Sakura could feel her skin losing moisture, she was beginning to feel a little lightheaded, as she could feel the water sloshing around in her ears and stomach._

 _Her elongated dirty pink hair flowed elegantly around her, a large contrast to the disgusting sight of this lady being drowned._

 _Her heart rate quickened, she felt the leftover chakra in her pump with nervousness and anxiety as she continued to squirm helplessly in the endless abyss that is the riverbank._

 _The pinkette heard them talking, though it only came as a slight gurgling from the top of the water as her head was filled with it._

 _She felt a hairy hand grab into her tattered collar, and they pulled her out harshly. The change in scenery alarmed her greatly, as she threw up water and remaining bile to the side of the riverbank as her insides jumbled from the sharp contact._

 _A boot kicked her harshly in the square of her chest, sending her sprawling to the ground, creating ripples in the muddy puddles surrounding them as rain poured from ahead, giving a lifeless look to her nearly dead body as she lay still, eyes dull._

 _Her black shirt caught on a sharp rock, tearing half of her only outfit as she went sprawling to the ground. She could feel her loose black pants sticking to her cold skin and saw a hint of green a bit away; her jounin vest, something she lost a long time ago._

 _This time they tugged on her nappy, shriveled pink locks, holding her up by her long hair, bringing the girl to her knees as she was held slightly mid-air. The nostalgia was not lost on Sakura as last time she was held like this she was in a equally hopeless situation._

 _The pinkette turned red eyes up to see the face of her torturer. Greasy brown hair and conceited brown eyes, topped off with a haggard appearance and the three different chins dropping sweat onto her forehead, she realized she sealed her fate as the man pushed her forehead down to the ground harshly, her face colliding with one of the many muddy puddle surrounding them in this forest, this hidden area where no one could find them._

 _She didn't care anymore._

 _She wasn't going to die anyway._

 **—Restart—**

 _"i'll try my best"_

"Today, we'll be tree climbing."

Sakura snapped to attention, her attention drifted from the towering trees to their lazy teacher as he gave them instructions.

She glanced toward her two teammates, who hated in their bickering to stare interestedly at their sensei, before they processed his words and that look was replaced with irritation.

She felt the wind pass through her legs once again and shivered as she felt goosebumps crawl up them once more.

 _'What was wrong with me? Wearing this impractical waste of fabric?'_

 **'Beauty was pain, even your unrecognized beauty.'**

 _'That sounded backhanded, but I'll take it as a compliment.'_

 **'With me, what ISN'T backhanded?'**

"Climb trees? We can already do that!"

Her eyes focused on Kakashi once more, the exasperated look showcased in his visible eye one she could agree with.

"Well, we'll be climbing trees without our hands."

To represent what he was saying the man walked up to the nearest tree, his crutch assisting him on the way, made a show of molding his fingers into the ram seal and a faint blue glow emanated from his feet as he began to walk up the tree without hands.

The chakra signatures of Naruto and Sasuke whirled with what she deduced were surprise and anticipation as he leisurely made his way back down from the tree, facing them all the while.

"So basically, you focus your chakra at your feet as you walk up the tree. Too much, the bark will explode and you'll fall, too little and you'll slip. You need to find the perfect amount. "

He threw three kunai in the ground at their feet, and they glinted in the morning sun. "Use these to check your progress. See you at the top."

Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared behind them, reclining on a nearby rock as Sasuke and Naruto charged the tree. The pinkette almost sighed at their recklessness.

 _'Well, I guess I'll go now.'_

She walked up to the tree casually, and stopped a few feet from the roots. She made a show of channeling chakra into her feet, and taking tentative step after step up the tree, 'testing the waters' and purposely adjusting what she messed up herself to make it look like a struggle till she was at the top of the tree.

She grabbed onto a nearby branch and used it to pull herself up onto the highest branch to take a quick breather. At her current level, all that continuous steep climbing and stretching and twisting her chakra had her beat.

 _'God, I'm such deadweight.'_

 **'When aren't you?'**

 _'There's only so far a Clanless civilian can get in the shinobi world, Inner.'_

"Kakashi-sensei, I did it!" Sakura called out, altering her voice box with chakra to make sure they heard her. Three heads snapped up to her relaxed form on the highest branch with slightly wide eyes, which made the green-eyed girl want to kick them.

"Well, well, looks like the kunoichi of the team has the best chakra control." Kakashi drawled. Sakura did not bask in the praise; she stopped doing that a long time ago. Instead she slumped her shoulders, knowing what was coming next, as the weakest link.

"Looks like she's closer to being Hokage than you are, Naruto. And maybe the Uchiha Clan aren't so great after all, hm?" She watched glumly as Naruto and Sasuke scowled and continued the exercise with renewed vigor.

She sighed momentarily and silently brought up her mental walls; so she would not get hurt over whatever pigheaded comment they decide to voice.

' **Boys will be boys.'**

 _'And I will be destined to be underestimated_.'

Sakura fiddled with her red dress a moment longer before whipping out her kunai and quickly slashing along the bark around her sitting area before sliding down, letting her metal toy dig into the wood, slowing her descent as she was freefalling at high speeds.

She landed roughly on the ground, tripping over a root absentmindedly as she made her way over to her sensei. His attention switched from watching the boys to his approaching female student, and he sketched a casual salute to which she couldn't help but respond to.

"Kakashi-sensei, what would you have me do to increase my chakra reserves?"

He looked a bit taken aback, because he was just about to suggest she go and do just that. He rubbed the back of his neck absentmindedly as he answered. "Well, you could run up and down the tree until you run out of chakra, or you could mediate. Though that takes much longer."

She quietly mulled over his expected answer as she made her way over to the boys. Though meditating was a good idea, she could only do it once a week as she would be too drained to prolong its use.

 _'We can try meditating when we're not on missions, it's too risky to do now.'_

 **'Mm, I'm down with that.'**

Her feet crumpled the grass underneath them as she took a stop next to Naruto's tree, just in time to see him land on his butt, rubbing his behind as an afterthought as he picked himself up, not noticing Sakura's fast approach.

He jumped when she quickly patted him off, flicking excess dirt off his bright orange pants and smoothing out his jacket appreciatively.

His face took on a beet red color as she placed her hands on her hips and flashed him an inquiring smile. "Need help?"

"Yeah..you have any tips?"

"Hm...let me see you do it. "

He grinned and dashed at the tree, pausing to interlace his fingers to get chakra to his feet and ran up the tree. He only got a few steps up before the bark exploded outward and he came flying off the tree.

The pinkette positioned herself to catch the blonde Jinchūriki and set him down lightly after he thanked her profusely.

 _'Still has as much chakra as ever.'_

"Okay Naruto, I think I know what you're doing wrong."

He came to attention, anticipation flashing in his blue orbs. "You need to relax. Don't think about Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei, or your own failure..just keep your complete focus on the tree. You seem to be an active learner from what I've seen so far, so go through trial and error, test out the waters." She explained slowly to him, making sure he got every detail.

He nodded his head vigorously, and with a quick thanks he was off again. Sakura smiled to herself and trekked over to Sasuke's tree. As the Uchiha slipped, he backflipped midair and landed gracefully on his feet, a big difference from Naruto's loud thuds when he eats dirt.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun. " His eyes slid over to her, silently demanding access to why she was here. Of course, she obliged. "You look like you need help. Want some advice?"

"I'm fine."

"You keep falling."

 _"I said I'm fine."_

"Okay, just look for me when you finally admit it.."

She reluctantly turned away, Inner bashing him in her mindscape.

 **'That stick is so far up his butt, I swore I saw it sticking out of the back of his throat.'**

 _'Very funny.'_

Even so, she giggled involuntarily while she made her way back to Kakashi. The pinkette took a stop in front of him as he looked down at her curiously. "I don't think I want to work on my chakra reserves today, it's too risky if I'm not at full strength."

"That it is. Well then, you can go back into the house if you'd like."

"Okay, thank you sensei."

Sakura turned on her heel swiftly and jogged towards Tsunami's house.

 _'I'll help her out if she needs anything, then I'll go into town.'_

She opened the door and walked into the house to see Tsunami cutting vegetables in the kitchen, Tazuna and Inari nowhere to be found.

 **'She said they were on a fishing trip, that didn't happen last time.'**

 _'Can't help but be a little worried.'_

"Hello, Tsunami-San."

She paused in distributing the carrot and turned towards the voice, wiping her hands on the white apron she tied around her waist. "Sakura-Chan! You finished training?"

"Well, no. I just can't do anything more today. Do you need any help with anything?"

"Not here, but I don't want to send you into town by yourself."

She perked up a bit; she could still go into town.

"I'm a shinobi, Tsunami-San; I can take care of myself. Would you like me to pick up a few things?"

They talked a bit, Tsunami creating a small shopping list as she sent Sakura on her way. The pinkette flashed her a smile before she closed the door behind her, a determined glint in her eyes.

She took many twists and turns, but soon she was in the small village. It was worse than she thought it'd be.

Children huddled up in alleyways, their rib ages visible through their thin shirts. Mostly empty shops, all crops lost and things way too overpriced. Adults keeping to themselves, a tight grip on their wallets.

She couldn't help the melancholy grin, as this reminded her of the war. Everything...everything reminded her of the war.

She inwardly shook her head, getting Inner to dismiss those thoughts as she continued to walk through the dying town. Gravel crackled under her blue-sandaled feet as she continued walking through the poverty, getting backwards glances at her new clothes and shiny hair and full pouch.

 _Her big full pouch._

It happened so fast, and if Sakura didn't have war-hardened reflexes they would've gotten away with it.

A small child, around seven give or take, dressed in a large ratty old tee and barefoot, stared at her pouch hungrily, her saddened gray eyes taking on a malicious, jealous _glint_.

The girl rushed at Sakura at high speeds, leaving a small trail of dust in her wake as she snatched the pouch off her hip. But the pinkette was faster.

She grabbed the girls unoccupied wrist in a death grip, stopping her in her tracks as she tripped over her own feet. Sakura was about to trip the girl, before she realized what she was doing.

The gray eyed girl stared at her, terrified, dropping the pouch in her fright, tears spilling out of her eyes like an angry torrent and cleaning her dirtied face as she was held slightly mid-air by the emerald-eyed girl's unrelenting grip.

Sakura's eyes widened and the atmosphere dropped ten degrees lower as everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at the girl apprehending the small orphan in the middle of the street.

She set the small girl down on her feet apologetically, and took her pouch back without her noticing. She rummaged through it in the girls shocked silence, not daring to move if she was hit, and stared blankly at the few bucks of profit Sakura was softly pushing into her hands.

Her face lit up in realization and an ear-splitting grin overtook her face as she thanked the mysterious shinobi profusely and promised to use the money well, running off in higher spirits.

The tense silence lifted at the act of kindness, and Sakura could have sighed in relief. She was about to kill that young girl. She picked up the small shopping list once more and got up off her knees, the gravel that embedded itself into her skin falling off reluctantly with a small clink.

She turned on her heel to travel deeper into the village, ignoring all the grateful looks she got from the older inhabitants. Her perky nose twitched minutely, her medical instincts coming into play, telling her to follow the scent.

 **'You smell that?'**

 _'Yeah...blood.'_

The time-traveling girl picked up the coppery scent of it immediately; having gotten very used to it, the feeling of being drenched in it. She let her feet carry her towards the smell, and she was met with a rather small tent, a faint green glow emanating from inside as people lined up to go meet it.

Each person in line had a different injury, she deduced after scanning the staggeringly slow line. Big or small, internal or external, with a quick glance from her sharp medical eyes, there was something wrong.

 _'So, that green glow...Medical Ninjutsu? Here?'_

She quietly stalked over to the front of the line, ignoring the shrewd mumbles and pointed glares and she lifted the curtain with her free hand.

In there, she was met with a sight startlingly similar to her time in the war. Too little beds, too many patients, too little time.

And blood. _So much blood._

The heavy scent of blood and the sharp scent of antiseptic invaded her nose as this tent was potent with the unwelcome smells, but instead of covering her nose with her collar her eyes landed on the elderly woman performing Medical Ninjutsu. And she was rather skilled.

 _'Well, this works in my favor,'_

She thought to herself as she traveled over to that side of the room, plopped herself down on the floor, and frowned.

The old lady peered up at her with sharp blue eyes, her runaway black hair strands framing her face as they escaped from the tight ponytail they were originally put.

 _"Who are you."_

Sakura startled at her authoritative tone; she wasn't expecting a fragile woman like her to speak with such coldness. Foolish mistake on her part. "I would like to help. I'm an aspiring ninja and I've always wanted to learn medical Ninjutsu, and it looks like you have your hands full. "

She gestured quickly to the fact that she was the only other person in here, and that everyone else were patients. The old woman stared at her, stared through her soul. Sakura could feel her nitpicking her eyes, separating the layers of emotion shown for the world to see.

Out of nowhere she began to laugh boisterously, making the pinkette jump. Was she delusional?

The old woman gave her a mirth filled glance before her eyes clouded over wistfully. "Ah, to be young again..the fire in your eyes, I saw it in many before it clouded over with the darkness I see only a hint of in yours. You keep a very tight rein of your emotions. " she commented casually.

The emerald-eyes girl looked at her with wide eyes; was she that easy to read? She can only imagine what Kakashi saw... "I didn't know I was so easy to figure out.." she felt a wrinkly hand become placed atop her head.

"You aren't. The mature intelligence you let a hint of seep through though is your downfall. In that little hole, more and more seeps through until you are an open book. People like you are the types who become Medical Ninja, you know."

She answered Sakura with a wry smile as the pinkette features lit up in understanding. Her head snapped up, a large grin adorning her face. "So..you mean.."

"Yes. Now, try pushing chakra to your hands, let a thin layer lather your palms. For medical Ninjutsu, the key is gentleness, so don't act like you're about to give a chakra-infused blow, act like you're going to cover your hands in a thin protective coat. Like a glove. That is the key to getting green chakra to emerge."

She paraphrased the conditioning Sakura got from Tsunade, and Sakura relearned Medical Ninjutsu. She already knew that it was a risky skill; her reserves were pathetic and she could pass out in the field with too much use. She learned it as a prodigy would have, having known it for years.

She was soon allowed access to the patients and she gave her second teacher a thankful hug before she crossed the small distance from the woman's working area to an open bed, where a man was bleeding out. She allowed her medic mode to take over, allowing Inner to inform her of her surroundings.

A quick diagnostic Jutsu and she was on the call.

 _'Blocked lungs, an infection in the left thigh,'_

 **'Two more patients coming in.'**

She slid her hands across their bodies, healing them of a variety of ailments; from alleviating the common cold to stitching a gash, she had the line moving faster and faster.

More and more people came into the small area, asking to be of use. The old lady gave them a crash course in the art of healing and soon three other nurses were hard at work, occasionally asking her input on an issue they couldn't quite handle.

 **'It's getting dark. Your reserves need to be refilled, get a nurse to replenish them.'**

She did just that, getting a small chakra transfer from a retired jonin ninja. She turned on her heel over to the next bed, quickly assessing the external injuries before she probed the body.

 _'He's gonna need a poison cleansing,'_

 **'Heat up the water with your chakra.'**

It was a severe case of food poisoning, but not severe enough for Sakura to throw in the towel. She effortlessly removed the poison, disposing the old water in a bowl and set it to the side for a nurse to cleanse it.

She disposed of her gloves only to pull on a new pair, adjusted her surgical mask and tightened her hairband, locking the hair in an airtight prison ponytail away from her face.

She was in her element.

"S-Sakura-San!" Her head swerved over to the call, a worried looking nurse clutching a sewing kit looked from her to her patient. "T-this boy..he's going to need an amputation! We don't have all the materials needed, and he's dying of blood loss!"

Her eyes widened and time stopped momentarily, the world spinning around her as she ran calculations in her head.

 _'Is Memura-San available?'_

 **'In the middle of surgery.'**

 _'What materials are we missing?'_

 **'They need to be cleaned, remember?'**

 _'Dying of blood loss?'_

 **'Has up to ten hours left.'**

 _'No one can do it. No one other than me.'_

She was brought harshly back into the room, the devastated bustling of the nurses in the small room suddenly looked crystal clear. Inner automatically took the reins, as she was in Command.

She suddenly clapped her hands, flooding so much meticulously placed chakra in the sound it verberated through the village. All the bustling stopped and all sound ceased. She once again made her voice louder with using little chakra and began the work.

"Okay people! We are in a _grave_ situation! There is a little boy in here, bleeding out with only ten hours till his demise, who really needs help! All our materials need to be cleaned for the surgery, but we need to keep this place running _smoothly_! Amayaka-San!"

The woman jumped at being mentioned, " I've noticed you have water-natured chakra, inject chakra out of your hands and clean those tools! Get those poisoned bowls cleansed while you're at it!" She stumbled on your way getting to the corner of the tent, blasting water out of her palms to get to work immediately.

She stomped over to the bedside of the young boy, forcefully pulling a small table full of minimal tools next to her as she replaced her surgical mask with a pristine one. "Oi! Mayuri-San! I _expect_ Amayaka-San to be finished in _five minutes_ , so transfer all her finished tools to this table _as soon as possible_! You're my assistant in this surgery!"

'Amayaka-San' hurriedly but precisely sped up her working pace and 'Mayuri-San' practically leaped over to her side bundling up all the finished scalpels and needles into her hands gingerly and started placing them in their appropriate spots on Sakura's table-side.

Sakura snapped her gloves into place on her hands gingerly, relaxing at the familiar feeling of latex rubbing against her skin and set to work. A hand on his chest, and she was calling out the injuries to the nurses.

"Collapsed lung, punctured kidney, and his left leg calf-down is very infected! Slight concussion and various cuts running over him! A slightly deep knife wound in the boy's upper right side, all signs of long term extreme torture from non-shinobi! If we hurry, an amputation won't be needed! I need that water cleansed _NOW_! Tora-San, assist Memura-San in her surgery, I need her to assist me. And lastly, Kechi-San, you have the largest chakra reserves other than Memura-San, you will be giving me minute chakra transfers! Set up a chair at my right, you will latch on to my elbow when I call you to!"

She ordered the room around, oblivious to the three heads peeking into the tent just as everyone else was, gray blonde black heads of hair.

The pinkette set immediately to stabilizing the infection as soon as all her tools were at her side. She spoke through her muffling surgical mask, "Amayaka-San, I need you to clean this place! Get rid of all excess blood or germs in the tent, when you're done come back to the boy and cleanse his lungs and then set to circulating his body with chakra to loosen the muscles!" The older nurse immediately set to what her superior wanted her to do.

"Now, Mayuri-San, please disinfect and heal all the small cuts on his body then set to work on the gash! When you're done with that bring me that bowl of water and you will help me through a cleansing! Kechi-San, when you finish, check all the remaining patients waiting outside and heal the most trivial ones! Tora-San, assist Memura-San with as many as you can in here, then both of you join me over here, I won't need a transfer till later. "

The boys set to work, and Sakura had her full attention on her patient.

She spent the next three hours hunched over the boy, stabilizing his leg as all available nurses worked on all the other injuries ailing the child.

As she finished wrapping the appendage in bandages, she walked over to the entrance, the cleaned dirt floor of the tent allowing her to slip on by squeakily. She forced an arm to open the tent to find that no one was in sight. Sakura sighed in relief, not noticing her team huddled up in the corner of the room watching her as she made her way back to her patient to probe him once more.

"Amayaka-San, resanitize these tools and dump the bowl of water out. Create more with your chakra. Mayuri-San, hook this boy up to a makeshift IV drip and get him comfortable enough to fall asleep instead of passing out. I want that boy out of here in the next hour. Kechi-San, clean all the other beds and fold the sheets. When you're done, please go to Memura-San for instructions. Tora-San, get this place repaired for use tomorrow. I want all broken or damaged tools replaced or fixed. When all of you have completed your tasks, prepare everything for tomorrow, if you will be able to arrive. I'm very sorry for my rudeness these past few hours, I got...scared. R-really scared. I thank you for your service, you're more than capable of handling yourselves." She called out tiredly.

She felt them all glance at her warmly, as if they didn't care. She rubbed her temples and stumbled over to the wooden chair near the boys bedside.

"Past few hours? You've been here all day.."

Sakura jumped at the sound of her sensei's lazy drawl. She turned her head frantically to see a smiling Uzumaki and a stone-faced Uchiha looking straight at her. She plopped her head into her hands.

"I was supposed to do grocery shopping today, wasn't I...I'm sorry, were you looking for me?"

"Yes, but this is a very impressive setup you've got here. Who taught you Medical Ninjutsu?"

Inquired Kakashi curiously. He was probing her for information. She was about to grace him with a hesitant answer but Memura-San beat her to the punch.

The elderly lady swiveled around in her seat, looking at him pointedly. "I did," she answered, letting her wrinkled hands move a cloth up and down a scalpel, "she is a very fine student. Quite a diamond in the rough. Take good care of her, she has lots of potential. In fact, she took to my teachings like a fish to water." She smiled to herself at this, and Sakura let a smile take her lips as well. She enjoyed being taught the basics and a little more than the basics by the kind woman.

She too turned around in her seat sluggishly, as her chakra was very low. She graced them all with a smile. "Should we get going? I didn't get the chance to get any of those groceries, though I didn't think they would be around anyway..." Naruto chose this as his time to speak.

"Don't worry, Sakura-Chan, Tsunami-San gave us another list and we already checked all the shops while we were looking for you! We hit everything we could!" He gave her an ear-splitting grin and she returned the favor, ruffling his hair as he was acting like a child. Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck absentmindedly. "We should get going back to the house now, I'm sure these talented nurses have it all under control. "

Sakura glanced around the small tent once more and all her colleagues were hard at work. She smiled pridefully; they would turn out to be really great Medical-Ninja. "Yes, they had it under control since we started, really." She reveled in the feeling of their chakra fluctuating bashfully at the praise. She laughed and they blushed realizing she could see their emotions and ducked their heads.

She brought her attention back to her team members; and let them help her up. With one more backwards glance at their team-made work, she headed out of the tent, her team surrounding her on all sides.

She quietly ate her miso as Naruto retold stories of their adventures today. The food felt so good in her mouth and as it slid down her throat, because she was worked rather hard today, and could feel her chakra reserves expanding from her exhaustion.

 **'Well that's one way to increase your reserves,'**

 _'A rather useful way. I'm glad I'm finally getting somewhere here in the past, and not just walking around aimlessly.'_

 **'Don't forget, there is still many things to come. No relaxing just yet. '**

 _'I know. Not even for a second.'_

"And so, I destroyed him!"

"You did not _'destroy'_ me, dobe."

"Yeah I did! You _totally_ lost. "

"Don't mix us up."

"TEME!"

"Dobe."

"TEME!"

"Dobe!"

" _TEME_!!"

" _DOB_ —"

"Now, now, you two."

She snorted silently on the sidelines at the oh-so-familiar scene, and proceeded to tune them out, since it seems Naruto has finished the story.

 _'What to do tomorrow?'_

 **'Train, go visit the makeshift hospital and hopefully make some renovations. Or maybe you could change your training schedule with the boys to spend most of your time over there. '**

 _'That would be nice.'_

She pushed her empty plate away and laid her head on the table, trying to relax as she let her chakra flow through her body, loosening her muscles and dimming the senses. She felt herself dip in and out of consciousness, the boys' petty arguments a slow hum in the background.

 **'See you tomorrow,'**

 _'Yeah..see you..'_

 **END OF CHAPTER 6**

 _How'd you like it? I had to find an excuse for Sakura to know Medical Ninjutsu before they left Wave and this was a rather good one. There should be only one or two more chapters left for the Wave Arc, then a filler chapter before I move on to the Chūnin Exams Arc._

 _Hope you enjoyed! Leave a comment, or just leave. But I really want some reviews._

 _See you later!_


	7. seven

**Another chapter of Restart. Is it just me, or have i not posted in a while? I WANT to, I really do, but I can't THINK of anything. Give me suggestions in the comments.**

 **On to another topic. This story will be moving in a more swerved direction. While we get to see Sakura's opinion on things now that she's traveled back in time and has a different outlook, there hasn't really been BIG changes to the timeline yet.**

 **The thing is, if I want to make big changes in the timeline I need to prepare myself, get pen and papers, and write down the plot of the entire story. I know EXACTLY which events I want to play out in a specific order, I know EXACTLY how much romance and EXACTLY how much friendship, drama and angst I want this story to have but I don't know where to start.**

 **And it's the ANGST that's really getting to me. As a (not really) newly-minted 6th Grader I can say right now I like things to be on the optimistic side. Constantly looking over your shoulder and darting your eyes isn't something I enjoy doing, much less writing about, BUT ITS EXACTLY WHAT THIS STORY NEEDS.**

 **I'm looking for you to hold your breath, to gasp, to widen your eyes as you scan across the screen. I want to become flustered, to laugh, to snort and shed a tear.**

 **I'm only 11. You can't expect a lot from someone who can't even stand 3rd Period. And nowadays school is really kicking in. Just...know that I'm trying my hardest, and that writing a story is MUCH harder than you think it is when you know what you're doing.**

 **In conclusion, there will be a few in-between chapters after Wave, or maybe even during Wave to get other characters involved into the story, make some progress in Sakura's time travel mission, and add a bit of angst so I have a nice starting point. But fluff. Lots and lots of SasuSaku fluff. By the way, the flashback scene in this chapter got a bit...weird.**

 _[Restart]_

 _She rubbed her hands together and slowly dipped them under the freezing liquid, the red tint that covered her palms disappearing and flowing down into the water, and the sharp smell of clean evading her nostrils at last._

 _With one last scrub, she was wringing her hands out on the shore before she slipped them in the water once more, leaning over to see her disheveled appearance._

 _Dark heavy bags under her eyes, puffy and red from incessant crying and midnight scares, complexion uneven and rough, acne spotted here and there. Pale and sunken, covered by the not-so dried blood she was trying so hard to wash off, that smeared on her face once the man glided his dirtied, bloodied fingers over her cheeks roughly, grabbing onto her, trying to bring her with him-_

 _Trying to bring her with him—_

 _She splashed her face with water, cradled obediently in her cupped palms. The blood mixed the water as it dripped down her face and into the rushing river, not noticing the salty tears coercing the substance off her face._

 _Her toes curled in on themselves as her body started shaking uncontrollably. Her hands fisted the long, dirty grass he kneeled in as she stifled her sobs successfully._

 _She was such a crybaby._

 _Such a crybaby._

 _She reached into her old hip pouch and brought her last pair of latex gloves as she nitpicked her features to land in stone-cold indifference. Jerking her body slightly to the left, she let her fingers glow alight with green chakra, fine-tuning it until it was sharp as she slit the body's chest open. Swiftly retrieving a sealing scroll, she reached her hand onto his chest, retrieving the still-beating heart in steady hands and sterilizing it to put away for a more-deserving man._

 _So on she went, surrounded by dead bodies, victims, her mind whispered, of all kinds— bandits, criminals, or just the unluckiest of civilians, reaching her dirty, guilty, scarred hands inside of them, retrieving their property while they watched on, unsuspecting of their life literally being taken away from them._

 _'You killed them,'_

 _'You killed them because you needed the organs,'_

 _'You killed them because you were desperate to be useful,'_

 _That she was._

 _She heard their voices whispering in her ears, you're cruel, you should die, no one loves you, you are dead weight, as she was sleeping, eating, killing, or as she liked to call it, 'helping.'_

 _So as she slid the kunai along her wrist once each day she confessed her sins with a blood sacrifice, appeasing her demons, even for just a little while._

 _She cleansed her hands once more, a bundle of sealing scrolls tucked underneath her arms, as she piled up the bodies, the empty, hollow bodies, only to burn them, watching the fire crackle as they were released, only to emerge from the smoke and encircle her in depression._

 _She watched on curiously, counting the seconds before her knees fell out from under her._

 _She just wanted to 'help.'_

 _So without complaint she cut down the innocent only to steal from their helpless forms, bring their treasures to someone else, for someone else to keep, so they can cut down more of the innocent and slit the throats of the worthy till they die, and she'll be there waiting, to take what never belonged to them back, fix it up, and give it so to another sinner._

 _So the war would prolong._

 _So the days would move on._

 _So they could sing their song of misery and the throats of the pure were blocked with thick coppery blood—_

 _She tightened her iron-clad hold on the treasures of the innocent as she leaped away, to give, and get sorrow in return._

 _She just wanted to help._

 **—Restart—**

" _i can handle it"_

She woke with a start, sweat clumping her pink hair to her larger than normal forehead as she put a hand to her chest. She could feel her eyes burn with memories of the past, and struggles to stop hyperventilating.

Her eyes darted around the dark room as paranoia settled in, as if he would jump on her at any moment. With a crazed grin and spinning crimson eyes..

Sakura brought her knees up to her chest and tried to clear her head of the dark visions of Uchiha Sasuke.

' _Inner..can you get rid of these thoughts, please?'_

 **'I'm not your personal drug, Outer. You can't rely on me like this. Not anymore. '**

 _'I'm sorry..I just..can't handle it right now. '_

Sakura rubbed at the bags that were inevitably under her eyes as she adjusted to the moonlight shining into the guest room from the open window. Only under extreme stress did these memories come back to haunt her, and she could almost feel the familiar touch of warm blood splattering on her lower left cheek as she thrust her hand through this chest and the next abdomen. It disappeared relatively quickly, thanks to Inner.

The nightmares were at their worst during the peak of the war. Constantly, every single night and couldn't get a wink of sleep, relying on soldier pills and Inner's hypnotics to keep her feet moving, her heart beating, her eyes watering.

Sakura thought it ended as they reached what could only be classified as a stalemate, as her main focus shifted from plunging her fingers through flesh and gripping onto a man's life force to where her next meal would be, and the next time she'd be able to sleep in peace.

But it seems she can't handle the pressure. Never could.

So she curled her hands into tight balls, balls of insecurity and self-loathing, because she was just _so weak_ , and wiped the apprehensive tears from her eyes, slipping on her shorts and pulling on a pair of sandals, disregarding Naruto's loud snores, drowning out any other sound in the room as she leaped through the open window, the curtains following her as she slipped a quick senbon into her hastily-made bun.

 _'A bit of training won't hurt. It always worked before,'_

She landed silently onto the soft grass, a quite graceful fall from a second story. Sakura quickly attached her kunai pouch to her hip and her shurikens to her right thigh, relaxing at the familiar weight, and walked towards the nearest tree in melancholy silence.

Her emerald eyes glittered underneath the moonlight, giving off the effect of beauty, hiding the emptiness from the world as she slipped a senbon from her hip into her waiting fingertips.

She attached it to the sole of her foot, keeping it there with chakra, and graced the other foot with a needle as well as she steadied herself on the unsteady lifts she made for herself.

As soon as she was balanced, she backflipped, using her chakra to propel the senbon off her feet and onto the tree in just the right places.

 _'I'm so glad my_ control _will never fail me,'_

She applauded herself bluntly as she roughly grabbed the sharp needles from the bark, not caring of the sharp pain registered in her palms as they drew blood. She plucked them back into her bun absentmindedly, and backed away from the tree, only to dash up it fiercely.

Once at the halfway point she looked down at her height and figured she was pretty far up, at least 30 feet on average. She felt the wind pass through her legs but paid it no mind, as she was slowly starting to forget the existence of demons haunting your very being.

She slowly slipped another needle out of her holster and held it in front of her, as she plucked a leaf from a nearby branch. Healthy and thick, she allowed it to plunge to its untimely death, releasing it to flow in the wind.

She quickly infused the needle with chakra that held it in between her index finger and thumb in a plucking formation, swiftly ejecting out of her fingers only for it to race through the leaf, leaving a small hole in the retreating greenery that proved she was doing this right.

 _'One more activity, then I'll leave,'_

 **''Kay.'**

She reached up on her toes, the thick branch she was standing on groaning under her weight as she mercilessly shook a branch from above her, leaves coming down like rain from a cloud.

She watched them descend for a moment, wondering if she will ever be so carefree, before she leaped off her branch.

Rosy hair escaped the crappy bun at the jerky moment, flowing behind her like a wave of silk as she infused chakra into her legs and underneath her shoes, allowing her to step on the leaf gracefully without weighing it down, and jumping from one to the other.

She soon reached the ground, landing with a swift forward roll, and sighed as her heart rate slowed. The pinkette really did enjoy these nightly escapades; just not the reason she needs them.

She figured her three used senbon had to be left for dead, so she rubbed her eyes once more, before turning on her heel and motioning to go back into the house.

"That was impressive."

She jerked slightly, and turned her head towards where she heard the voice. Her heart stopped for a split second, and she could almost see herself staring into cold, guarded crimson eyes, before it reverted to the impassive onyx she had learned to associate with the Sasuke she fell in love with.

She grunted out an affirmative before turning to him fully, an honestly inquisitive look in her forest green orbs. "How long have you been there?" She called out to him quietly from his spot, perched on a slightly low branch. Scratch marks from what resembled a kunai littered the bark from underneath his sitting space, telling her he'd been here for quite a while.

 _'He's working on tree climbing,'_

 _' **Obviously. '**_

 _'How did I not notice him?'_

 **'You get a bit conceited at times.'**

Sakura couldn't help a wry smile at that; she hated seeing Inner so glum. She was back to her sarcastic self.

"Long enough," he replied vaguely, as he jumped off from his branch and to the ground in front of her. She stared at him curiously, before realizing she intruded. "Ah, I'm sorry if I interrupted your session, I was just-"

"What are you doing out here at this time." He almost demanded, effectively cutting her off. The pinkette placed her hands on her hips and glowered defiantly. "I could ask the same of you."

"Hn."

"Well. My business is my business, so I'll be going now, Sasuke-kun. "

"That chakra control exercise was very impressive."

Those words made her stop in her tracks, her hands falling to her sides as she stared at him, shocked into silence.

 _Recognition? From the, Super Emo, Uchiha Sasuke?_

She brought her arm up to rub the back of her neck, to possibly decrease the growing burning sensation she felt. It wasn't doing them any good that they were standing under the moonlight.

"Ah, thanks. And you were working on the tree exercise?"

"Hn."

The emerald-eyed girl momentarily forgot about her past scars from the war, allowing herself to relax in the form of her 12-year old self, to engage in this conversation, to soothe her nerves.

Sakura brought her hands down to fiddle with the sides of her black tank, looking for somewhere to put her hyperactive fingers.

"Are you sure..you don't need help?"

He cast one more shrewd glance at the tree, as if it was mocking him, before turning back to her, a resigned look in his eyes.

"Hn...Fine."

 **'Look at him, finally setting aside his pride.'**

The pinkette clapped her hands together silently in a self-victory, before walking over to his tree, the Uchiha in the lead. They came to a quick stop and Sakura put her hair in a much more dedicated bun, as she has already decided to use a certain method of teaching for her quiet teammate.

"Okay, let's see what you can do."

His fingers quickly curled into the ram seal, the soles of his feet giving off a faint cyan glow and he was soon running up the tree. He got a few steps up farther than his personal best before the bark exploded underneath him, a quick kunai slash and he was back on the ground.

"Shoot," he murmured to himself quietly, "I'm not focusing enough..."

The girl decided to add in her own insight here. "Maybe..maybe you're focusing too much."

Sasuke turned to her, a silent demand to continue. She followed. "It seems like you're putting too much focus in, and that's what's throwing you off. You need to find a way to climb the tree without thinking about it too much." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

She crossed her arms over her chest, pondering on how he should do this in a way that would work for him.

 **'Honestly, the only thing he enjoys is fighting.'**

 _'Fighting...Hm, maybe you're on to something.'_

She snapped her fingers, turning to him as he glanced at her from the unexpected noise. She grinned. "I have an idea. Let's...let's spar."

He looked at her quizzically, not even bothering to shield his expression. She waved him off and motioned to demonstrate. She lunged at him, and he came back in kind, using self-defense, not realizing she was backing him up. "Come on, fight back! Or are you scared?" The pinkette taunted. Sweat formed on her brow. She was having trouble keeping up with him in her weak form.

A new fire went alight in his eyes as he began coming back at her. As she was losing energy quickly, she retreated, only to run up a nearby tree without restraint. He looked on, and without hesitation, he was running up a tree parallel to hers, angrily but calculatively throwing shuriken at her, and she deflected them in midair as she ran up the tree.

Out of nowhere she stopped and he did the same a heartbeat later. Sakura twirled on the bark of the tree, skating across and behind it, out of his line of sight and continued running, concealing her stomps with chakra.

She soon reached the treetops, and she saw him just now deciding to continue up. The pinkette smirked.

 _'This is really fun,'_

 **'It is.'**

Sakura maneuvered herself expertly and leaped onto his tree, planning on meeting him to engage in taijutsu.

Wind slapped at her bare legs and arms, keeping her rapidly blinking. Her heart rate increased and her pulse quickened. The adrenaline was getting to her, and she was exhilarated.

She felt his chakra spike in surprise as she leaped out of the foliage, dashing towards him with arms outstretched, he retaliated and they met in the middle, throwing punches and kicks as they raced up the tree.

She watched as a ghost of a smile creeped onto his features before it was wiped away with realization and understanding, before a nasty irritation set in stone. "You're weak," he admonished bluntly as he easily batted away a measly punch.

Sakura gritted her teeth as the leaves blocked them from view, their high position in the tree silencing their forms. Yes, she was weak! She's been trying hard to make sure everything went smoothly, so she didn't have time to train! Unlike Sasuke, who has a free schedule without the _weight of the shinobi world_ resting on his child-sized shoulders.

"I can see that, and I'm working on it," she bit out harshly, fatigue settling into her bones. He stared at her impassively, and she could see the gears turning in his head as they paused in their spar, the pinkette taking the time to climb onto a branch to catch her breath.

 **'Sooooo pathetic,'**

 _'Sometimes I hate myself.'_

 **'..only sometimes? Ha.'**

The Uchiha also climbed up onto the branch, one leg huddled near his chest and an arm laid akimbo on the knee, the other outstretched with the arm on the thigh, twiddling his fingers absentmindedly: what Sakura has come to refer to as Sasuke's 'thinking pose.'

 **'You have stalker-ish tendencies,'**

' _Doesn't that mean you also have stalker-ish tendencies?'_

"You helped me get up the tree," he murmured, almost to himself. Sakura nodded an affirmative. "This method works," he said. Another nod. "But your skills are pathetic." This time, a forced shrug. "Hn."

He seemed to come to a decision, because he brought his leg back down silently and now both his hands rested on his thighs, and his head turned away from her, but that only served to give him an eerie glow from the holy light reflected from the moon.

Sakura felt her heart beat faster by just looking at his bangs swaying lazily. She wrenched her head away reluctantly and instead looked up, to see that the stars were winking at her playfully.

A small breeze passed through the area, momentarily breaking the tense silence as Sakura peered around the small leaf dome they were situated in. Seriously, if they didn't want to be seen, this was the place to be. She gave it grudging respect from her post-War shinobi mind.

Her ears turned a light pink.

 _'Oi, Inner, cut the crap and stop thinking about those things.'_

 **'Hehe..You know me, just a little hornball.'**

' _Get rid of those thoughts!'_

 **'Hai, hai.'**

She felt her blush recede as dirty things evacuated her mind, taking a near silent sigh of contentment. Though clearly not silent enough, because she got Sasuke's eyes on her. Or has he been like that for awhile?

 **'We've been told we space out when talking.'**

 _'This only happens because you're a screw-up.'_

' **Hm, did he say something?'**

 _'W-what?!'_

Sakura whipped her head towards him, her bangs nearly slapping his nose, but he brought his head back in the nick of time with slightly wide eyes. Though soon he was back to his impassive self, staring at her through lidded onyx orbs.

She scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry. Did you need something, Sasuke-kun?"

She stared at him with curious green eyes.

"Hn. We're leaving."

She got up, now standing on the thick branch, the top of his head disguised in the leaves. Sakura jerked at his swift movement and looked up at him, shocked. "That's it? We're done?" His lips pulled down into his trademark frown and Sakura regretted her phrasing immediately. "What more were you expecting?" He accused quietly, glaring holes through the side of her head as she averted her eyes.

 **'You're in deep.'**

 _'Shut it.'_

"Ah, nevermind. But if you need any more help, you can come to me.." She made a move to jump off but was stopped as her feet left the wood by Sasuke's form grip on her upper arm. The pinkette tripped in her surprise, but soon gained equilibrium and looked at him, appalled.

"Hn. You're training with me from now on."

The onyx-eyed boy then jumped off the branch and into the endless void below. She stared after him with wide eyes, contemplating what he just said. Inner responded with thick snark.

 **'From my years of deciphering Uchiha bullcrap, I'd have to say he expects you to train with him from now on. Why, though?'**

 _'I don't know..but he clearly made some connection in that short-wired brain of his.'_

 **'Don't they all?'**

The emerald-eyed girl sighed and ran a hand through her hair, accidentally taking out her bun; a movement tic she picked up over the years.

Her long candy pink hair silently flopped against her back as she sat back down onto the branch, huddling up into a ball and resting her head on the bark. She looked up once more; green eyes twinkling with amusement at Sasuke's antics.

She closed her eyes silently and let her breathing even out.

 _'I won't be able to go back to sleep with him in the room,'_

 **'And sleeping in trees brings back lulling memories...'**

 _'Thanks, Inner. For all your help..'_

 **'I'll always be there for you...you pink-haired abomination of nature-'**

 _'Yeah, no.'_

 _[Restart]_

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, pink lashes wispy, but soon they shot open, and she was standing on the branch, hands cupped above her eyes, looking at the sky.

"It seems like it can't be earlier than 7:00..did my internal clock mess up?"

 **'You can't put much stake in things like those, the stupidest things always ruin your flow.'**

 _'I'll keep note of that.'_

The pinkette absentmindedly stretched her arms over and behind her head, doing quick lunges on the branch in the shadows her small sleeping done provides. "Even if this place is perfect for hiding, my pink hair never fails to give me away," she murmured attentively.

Sakura leaped down off the branch, the wind flowing through her thick hair and hitting her bare skin, waking her up immediately. Her flimsy tank caught air and ballooned, showing off her navel to the world.

She landed gracefully on one knee and dusted herself off, letting her fingers flow through her hair, happy that she wouldn't have to comb it this morning due to her stiff posture on the tree.

She leisurely spread out her chakra, finding all of the recognizable ones huddled together on the first floor of Tsunami's small home.

[I]'Breakfast, eh?'

Though there were two that were not familiar. One that reminded her of sea aroma and cement, while the other, smaller one reminded her of sea salt and clouds, with a bitter tang of depression.

 _'Tazuna and Inari?'_

She ran into the house, feeling the small boy's signature sprint away, while Naruto slowly walked out and into a different room.

As soon as her hand went on the doorknob, it recoiled sharply as the door burst open, nearly hitting her, Inari staggering out crying, tears running down his face. He ran into the woods and out of sight. Kakashi's signature had a mix of disgruntlement and annoyance as he too walked out, giving her a small wave as he passed. She returned it hesitantly and faced the door, walking in.

Tazuna had his head in his hands, sitting in the corner, while Tsunami was fervently working on the dishes as if her life depended on it. And Sasuke was sitting at the table, quietly eating his food. He glanced at her when she passed him only to sit across from him, grabbing her lukewarm food.

"Mornin'."

He gave her a grunt in return, but it was a welcome grunt, so she continued talking, not even bothering to work on breaking the tense silence. Information first.

"What just happened?"

She locked her emerald gaze on his throat, he attempted to swallow cleanly but it came out noticeably harsh. It just made her sadden when she realized how long he'd had to keep his emotions in check around others; it seems like Inari's words affected him too. He finally looked up at her without averting his eyes, and the pinkette felt like shrinking underneath his cold gaze.

' _Only he can do this to me.'_

 **'You're so _vulnerable_.'**

"The _real_ bridge builder and his grandson came back late night. We were eating when he started complaining about how 'Ninjas have it good.' The dobe explodes and they both stormed off. Tazuna-San, the bridge builder, recently explained his situation before Kakashi took off."

 **That's the most I've heard him say at one time.'**

 _'I'm with you.'_

The emerald-eyed girl was genuinely shocked; he didn't have this outburst until the second night they were here.

 **'Well, this is technically the second night.'**

' _But he's only been here a few hours, awake even less.'_

 **'You don't know that, when Sasuke said 'late night' you guys stayed out there till at least 3 AM.'**

 _'Speaking of which, he said that I'd be training with him from now on. I have my own schedule too, so how will that work?'_

 **'I find it funny that you didn't question his motives and went along with it. Some war-hardened shinobi you are.'**

 _'I'm in a hopeless love, deal with it. It's the reason I've become hardened in the first place. '_

"I see...I'll just let them blow off some steam."

She bit into her cold egg meticulously, relishing in the feeling of the cooked meal sliding down her throat. Cold or not, she's learned to appreciate what she can get. She looked up at him once more, and he was staring at her the whole time disinterestedly, absentmindedly making circles in his porridge with a spoon. Almost daydreaming.

She fought to keep the blush off her face; she could pretend he was looking at her and not the clock behind her otherworldly forehead, couldn't she? No, the sadly familiar obnoxious voice in her head said.

 **'He'll _never_ be interested in you. Get your head screwed on straight, and save the world.'**

She blinked fully; digesting her own words. She really doesn't have time for this. She should be getting stronger, eliminating future threats. Yet here she is, acting like her old, weak, _absolutely innocent and pathetic_ 12-year old self, when she should be strategizing.

Sasuke blinked also, snapping to attention as his eyes zoomed over to her, as she was staring straight at him. Sakura straightened, her elbows no longer resting on the table, as they stared at each other. She cleared her throat to break the silence.

"So, you said..I'd be training with you from now on. What did you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

"Well I have my own training to do, not to mention going to the clinic."

"We already decided to take shifts accompanying you so you don't miss out on training. "

"..oh.. well, you wouldn't waste your time with me if you weren't getting something in return, though I have to applaud you for your execution. What do you want?"

Sakura let a hint of Inner slip through in that comment, and Sasuke looked mildly surprised that she'd figured out his ploy.

"You will help me with my chakra control, and I will help you with your physical endurance. You're weak."

She ignored the small stab of pain she felt at that comment, because _chakra control is basic not to mention the only thing she's good at_ , and instead looked out the window, where she could see Kakashi and Inari sitting at the docks. "I know. Your chakra control seems average to me, but you want it perfect, I assume?"

The disgruntled frown she received was answer enough. "Well then, I'm glad I was able to help, Sasuke-kun. She flashed him one of her rare smiles, a delicacy ever since the war, one she was slowly getting used to offering constantly to keep her walls up.

He stared at her impassively before getting up and going upstairs, Tsunami hurriedly picking up his remains. She let her smile drop and awaited the hopefully action-packed events of the day.

She heard loud pattering footsteps coming upstairs and down before a blur of orange engulfed her in a hug, apparently used to her not hitting him anymore. "SAKURA-CHANNNNN! I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU! BUT YOU'RE HERE NOW! WE HAVE A LONG DAY AHEAD OF US, LETS TRAIN! DID YOU HEAR?! WE'RE GONNA GUARD YOU AT THAT UGLY TENT-" she cut him off by catching him in a light noogie, "Glad to see you too, Naruto."

He gave her a 100-watt grin and scurried over to replace Sasuke's place, and they talked animatedly all morning, mostly Sakura listening and eating her cold porridge as Naruto rambled about this and that, occasionally asking her opinion on something.

 **'He better grow out of this crush, and fast,'**

 _'Though it's nice to see him act so innocently.'_

The image of this blond boy dead at her feet was not one she wished to see again.

Not too soon after, Kakashi walked in, unusually chipper in seeing Sakura. She waved at him timidly, and he returned the gesture casually, taking a seat next to Naruto and giving her his famous eye-smile. "I'm glad you found something to start with."

"Medical Ninjutsu? Yes, I'm rather happy about that, too. I'm finally making progress."

"Did you hear about our plans for today?"

"I did, actually, and I want to thank you for considering my feelings, Kaka-sensei. "

"Maa, all my cute little Genin need to happy, don't they?"

"Is Sasuke-kun ever happy?"

They laughed good naturedly and her teacher ruffled her hair lightly. She yawned minutely and waved a brief goodbye to Naruto, heading upstairs to wash up.

 _[Restart]_

She lightly cursed as her thumb caught on a hook, tearing the skin effortlessly. Blood beaded up around her cut and she quickly placed the curved surgery tool in its appropriate place, plucking bandages from the shelves that were not there before as nurses scurried to re-check all the tools, because that was _certainly_ sharp.

She wrapped her offended appendage quietly, returning to the bedside of the small girl who looked at her curiously when she finished wrapping her arm. With a swift lollipop, Sakura had the girl scurrying out to her mommy, showcasing her treat as the parent looked at her with awe shadowed by gratefulness in her brown eyes.

The pinkette sketched a quick bow as warmth flooded her chest, the familiar feeling of being helpful putting a sweet taste on her tongue as she let in the next patient from the line.

The small tent was upgraded into a slightly larger tent with small complimentary shelves for materials and a makeshift rope to keep the line in order. The beds were regularly fluffed and tools regularly cleaned, not to mention all the new recruits helping the old woman's cause, including her. As an add-on, these useful medics-in training were also getting shinobi help, as she and Memura-San taught them the basics and a bit more advanced things about the average medic's tools of trade.

She washed her hands in the small basin, getting a quick chakra transfer from a bypassing nurse, when she felt her stomach constrict with revulsion.

Her quick reflexes were the only thing that kept her from collapsing on her knees, instead clutching a rail, because the smell was just so bad.

Wafting up her nose, the old, thick blood and prolonged poison attacked her, coupled with the underlying but certainly not too overpowering smell of bile and _very_ infected wounds.

She whipped her head around, pink strands of hair falling out of her tight ponytail, tracking the reason for the disgusting scent.

A large man, who was packing on the pounds was being quickly laid onto a bed, a quick nurse attaching an IV drip into the crook of his elbow as someone else knocked the man out, relying on the nutrients in the bag to keep him alive.

They periodically prepared for an incision, a rather large one, as the Haruno's small form came up the man's bedside, her sharp medical eyes taking in his ailments in quickly and effectively.

 _'This man, it wasn't a poison,'_

 **'He seems nearly crippled, heavy breathing and I can smell a bacterial gas.'**

' _Diagnose.'_

Sakura places a glowing, newly gloved hand on the man's sweaty chest.

 **'The same bacteria is running through his bloodstream and packed in his liver and around his heart. So many wounds open he succumbed to ailments. We're dealing with a disease.'**

"This man here, he has a disease! Prepare for extensive treatment!"

This was a _problem_.

She bit her lip as she lost herself in thought.

 _'I still have training with my team, and I already had to change my schedule to be here. Not to mention this is our first extensive patient and I don't know how long these rookie nurses can take care of this man, and he requires delicate treatment..'_

 **'But we also need to find a way to change the future so Zabuza and Haku can live.'**

In other words, she was in too deep.

 **END OF CHAPTER 7**


	8. eight

_[Restart]_

 **Yo. Next chapter is coming your way. I am sincerely sorry about that rough ending in the last chapter because dang, my phone was just DYING. Also sorry for the long wait for this one. Constantly logging me out of the app, and I couldn't put a letter down without waiting a hesitant second to see if I'd be logged out! In conclusion, lots of writing and old device issues.**

 **But anyway, I'm back and currently speed-typing like I usually do, so hopefully it will stay this way.**

 **I've decided that after Wave I'll get pen and paper and write a quick timeline of the important and less important events I want happening each day. Not including the finer details, of course.**

 **So anyway, in a nutshell my phone is now fixed, I think, I know what I'm doing, and enjoy the chapter.**

 _[Restart]_

 _The water didn't protest under her form, lightly rippling and convulsing as her feet grounded against its surface, the hue of blue surrounding them preventing it from dipping under._

 _She felt the heavy liquid crash onto her head, blinding her underneath a curtain of foamy white, not bothering to move from the uncomfortable position._

 _She halted her breath, choosing when it's safe and she wouldn't be swallowing freshwater as she breathed deeply, calming her nerves._

 _The water roughly trickled down her exposed abdomen, a never ending sheen of light blue covering it, for now._

 _Her eyes were closed, her stance relaxed, sitting Indian style on top of the water, underneath the waterfall._

 _Clear your mind._

 _The mantra she related over and over again in her head till it was a slight pulsing under her skull as she felt her body absorb the energy around her, the essence of Nature._

 _It was hard, she'd later admit shamelessly, eyes covered by her bangs, her bangs covered by a dirty towel._

 _Her breathing became ragged as her control began to falter, her thoughts tiptoeing over to less than savvy topics._

 _She felt the energy around her freeze with baited breath, wondering when she'll regain her control...before it dispersed apathetically._

 _She sank under the water, her already heavy form roughly pushed underneath the surface by the rushing blue. Her light pink strands flowed seamlessly under the current as she stayed stock still before the water. Her tears mixed in with the fresh liquid, noticeably lighter before they disappeared into the already light blue abyss._

 _She was roughly pulled out of the after by her forearm, the stubborn liquid starting to pull her back down, droplets handing on the hem of her shorts before dropping off reluctantly. She regained her footing on the slippery surface and was soon hacking on her knees on top of the water."_

 _"I...can't do it," she whispered quietly. The white haired man before her sighed. She reluctantly looked up at him with her small, sharp forest green orbs, slightly unnerved by his reprimanding stare, made all the worse by the intimidating black sclera of the Reanimation Jutsu._

 _"Yes, you can. I felt the Nature Chakra gathering around you; I even saw your eyelids turn a bit red. You're getting closer, you can do it."_

 _She began to see red, her Inner absentmindedly wondering if the same would happen if she finally achieved this Jutsu when she pounded her fist onto the water, droplets spraying outward and soaking her thighs. She let out a small cry of frustration._

 _"I'm not Naruto! I can't achieve Sage Mode! I'm too useless, too weak-minded, too clumsy, too cluttered, and I can't do anything right!"_

 _"Now listen here! You are the apprentice of Tsunade, the 5th Hokage! You are powerful, and this war can't tell you otherwise! You should spend less time berating yourself and spend more time getting ready for your Mission."_

 _Sakura stiffened, and the only sound that could he heard was the waterfall pounding on the surface of the liquid, effectively penetrating its barrier._

 _The mission. How could she forget?_

 _She stood up, eyes shadowed by her pink hair as she trudged back over to the waterfall, plopping herself down underneath and the water was the only thing she could hear, stinging her eyes and gurgling in her ears._

 _She assumed position once more, with the tiniest sliver of hope that her eyes would stain red once again._

 _[Restart]_

 **—Restart—**

 _"you have trust"_

 _[Restart]_

She breathed in deeply, trying to keep her cool. Nurses instinctively avoided her, in fear of being yelled at suddenly to do this thing or another.

 **'Apparently that little boy's case rang throughout the village,'**

 _'Civilians just can't keep their mouths shut.'_

She unknowingly got into her 'Serious Thinking Pose': hands clasped in front of her crotch in an upside-down prayer formation, legs spread out shoulder-length, shoulders back, head down, not enough to seem sad, but enough for her bangs to cover her eyes, despite the hitai-ate holding most of it back. Just enough to seem slightly angered, but very afflicted.

She unknowingly let non-threatening killing intent come out in small waves around her, enough to send a chill down the intern medics' spines as she pieced her problem and solution together.

 **'Let's go over the facts, okay, pinky? This man needs extensive treatment, taking a few days of tireless work to get him back on his feet and a little extra for the road. We won't always be here, having a need to train ourselves and bring our team together before we break apart once more. Not to mention extra BS that never fails to come up at inopportune moments.'**

 _'Do any of the nurses have what it takes?'_

 **'The first set of four we got, oh yeah, and their direct apprentices should be fine, but everyone else who was trained halfway and cut off roughly is a bit iffy, use them for basic tasks.'**

 _'Okay. I'll need to write down a set of rules and paste it somewhere, or just drill it in their minds of how this place will run when I'm not here. Or when I leave back for Konoha, for that matter.'_

 **'For someone on a time-travel mission, you don't think very far ahead.'**

She took a deep breath, the air in the tent dropping a few degrees by everyone holding their breath, stilling.

 **'I'm glad you make such an effect on them,'**

"Okay guys!" They jerked, expecting—but really not expecting— her voice to ring out once more. "This man needs extensive treatment! From what I've seen, he's been battling with various illnesses his whole life: high blood pressure, a bacteria I have yet to identify running through his bloodstream, closely packed the areas around his liver and heart! He might have a disease or an ailment causing this to happen. Now listen carefully!"

She took another deep breath, and didn't stop for much air when she spoke next.

"The first set of nurses that were here will be taking shifts throughout the day to take care of this man! I will assign the jobs shortly. The _DIRECT_ apprentices of these four will assist them, and take care of the other tasks for the day. And all rookie nurses will clean the tools and attend to the other patients' trivial injuries! I will set up a schedule till this man is released! Get back to work!"

Their momentary lapse in attention left and they went back to what they were doing, a newfound sense of peace in their minds now that the biggest of their problems are solved.

' _Now, where do I keep my chakra paper..?'_

She scurried over to her small bag situated on the stool in the corner of the room, and rumbled through it quickly, paper and ink nowhere in sight. The bag was abruptly taken from her and she swiveled around to see Sasuke pulling out a small scroll and ink cartridge.

She gave him a quick smile as thanks, and he replaced her bag while she set her things down on the table close to the stool, preparing to write. "Hey, Sasuke? When you said we'd be training...what time will that be?"

She felt him glance at her as she squeezed three droplets of ink out from her pen. It was currently too expensive to buy sealing ink and brushes so she'd make do with calligraphy.

"Whenever we have time," he answered cryptically but acceptably. "So what you're saying is I can work my schedule around yours? Great? Great." Her pen flew across the page, her mind instinctively creating a doable schedule and shift times and ends for the nurses, adding small but important notes at the side for the rookies to remember.

She carefully ripped off a portion of the scroll paper and roughly stuck it on the sturdy tent wall with a senbon she could risk losing. Or so she thought.

With a quick sigh she began detailing the injuries of the man on a separate roll, leaving plenty space at the bottom for more diagnosis, capping her cartridge with more instructions on how to prepare for calligraphy before she wiped the pen clean.

Setting both of her items down she walked out of the stuffy, crowded tent, pointedly ignoring the love struck female chakra signatures pointed in a certain Uchiha's direction while her back was turned and breathed in the not-as-fresh air.

' _We've got some long days ahead of us.'_

Sakura gave the nurses quick instructions on how the clinic will operate in her and Memura-San's absence, referencing her rapidly drying scrolls on the wall. After a child's arm and a small sinus blockage, she was out the door, or tent, Sasuke following behind her.

 _[Restart]_

The grass rumpled to accommodate for her new weight as she slowly let herself down on the dirt, circulating healing chakra through her weary bones in preparation for the team training that was yet to come. Naruto was radiating exuberance; sitting next to her, in turn blocking her view of Sasuke, though she was sure his expression would be unreadable.

So the pinkette focused her attention towards her sensei, who was sitting on the same rock in front of Tazuna's house, looking down on the three 'cute little genin' on the floor in front of him. He snapped his book shut and let out a small, resigned sigh.

"Zabuza will only need 6 more days to recover, as will I," he drawled lowly. "I have already taught you all tree-climbing, but from this point forward Sasuke will be the one teaching the two of you, to get to his level. "

Naruto raised a hand and didn't wait to be called on. "What is Sasuke going to be taught?! If _he's_ teaching us then he can't be slacking off!"

Sakura chose to interject here. "From what I've seen, you don't know much of the events of Sasuke's battle. His opponent was very fast, so I think he should train his speed."

Kakashi ruffles her hair good-naturedly, even as his eye shone with ' _we'll talk later_.' "Great observation, Sakura. Yes, while Sasuke will be instructing you, I will also put a pair of weights on him while he's teaching you two. It should increase his speed."

From the small glimpse she saw, Sasuke looked impassive, if not slightly weary at the thought of training her and Naruto.

 **'He wasn't lying when he said we were weak,'**

' _I just didn't notice it too much back then.'_

 **'THIS is 'back then.'**

 _'Now you need to leave.'_

She wriggled her sandaled toes impatiently. "When do we start?" Kakashi graced her with an eye-smile. "Right now! Sasuke will decide what you two need to work on first, while I recover. See ya!" He left the trio in a puff of smoke.

Sakura stared at the place her teacher just was before shaking her head quietly and rankling to her feet. She stared at the boy's expectantly, who were staring at her curiously. "So," she started, "What will you have us do first, Sasuke-kun?"

He grunted as Naruto jumped to his feet in anticipation, ambling up only to fix them with a stern glare. " I don't agree with the way Kakashi set this up. So I've adjusted. Dobe."

Naruto jumped and scowled, "you will teach us how to do the Kage Bunshin. Sakura." Her eyes shifted over to his, trying to ignore how the light makes them shine, "You will help us with our chakra control, Naruto specifically. And I will train your stamina."

"Understood!" The pinkette teased, sketching a salute. He grunted once more and began walking over to the middle of the clearing, the Uzumaki and Haruno at his heels.

"I think we should begin with my training first," the aforementioned kunoichi offered. "Learning Kage Bunshin could be really dangerous, and stamina training doesn't do much if you can't put it to use. "

The Uchiha seemed to mull over this before folding. "Fine, tell us what to do."

 **'Bossing around the bossy one? Never thought I'd see the day.'**

 _'Chock full of sarcasm today, aren't you?'_

"Okay! First, we can do some chakra control exercises!" She put her hands on her hips. "Such as the tree-walking exercise, but there is much more, harder ones! Though the first step would be to complete the tree-walking exercise, so get to it!"

Naruto, being as inexhaustible as he is, took off to the nearest tree. The Uchiha took his sweet time. She noted him focusing chakra to his feet, before hesitating and unexpectedly running up the bark without resistance, also noting the surprise on his face at how far up he got before falling.

She dragged her focus over to Naruto, who was doing just as well as Sasuke, as he got her advice, same advice mind you, first.

 _'It shouldn't take them long to finish.'_

 **'Gauge their skill levels and set them up with different chakra exercises. '**

And gauge she did. It seemed like Sasuke had a higher skill level than Naruto, and that wasn't very surprising. Though also equally unsurprising was Naruto's greater stamina and endurance, though Sasuke could still hit harder.

She decided what to set each of them up with as they reached the top of the trees respectively. This ended up escalating into a glare-match, having been nose to nose. She clapped her hands, getting their attention as she peered up at them with pride.

"Come on down, I have your next exercises!"

She waited as they ran down the trees, and soon they were standing over her expectantly. "Okay, Naruto, come here. Both of your exercises are different."

He followed after her eagerly while Sasuke started some simple katas while waiting. "Okay, look carefully Naruto." She plucked a leaf from a overhead branch and held it up to his face. The blonde's eyes locked onto the leaf intently. She had to stifle a giggle.

She carefully brought the leaf up off her index finger, letting it float midair above her finger, twirling slightly. Recognition flashed in his eyes before irritation settled in snugly. "Aw, come on! We did this in the Academy! Why am I doing it again!"

She rapped her knuckles on his head lightly to quiet him before explaining. "From what I've seen in the Academy, your chakra control is hideous. You didn't get this exercise right, unlike I and Sasuke-kun, so you must do this before anything else."

She showed him the exercise once more, leading him through it patiently as he mimicked it, disgruntled. "You let your chakra lightly coat your finger, and the leaf will repel from your finger. You push it higher and higher by letting your chakra slip out of your finger to touch the leaf at a steady stream, keeping it at a distance. "

She saw the light sheen on his tanned finger indicating he at least got the first part right, and as the leaf slowly pushed off from the confines of his index..

A bullet of chakra abruptly shot off of his finger, impaling the leaf as it fell to the ground, dead.

"That.." she started, nearly speechless, "was actually pretty cool. But that's not our goal here. Have you seen what water looks like when something is dropped inside?"

He vigorously shook his head yes. "Imagine your chakra being like those bubbles that foam up on the sides; slow, relaxed, pushing lightly at the object in the water, trying to get it to leave. Think like that."

He nodded his head, slowly this time, since he could envision it now.

 **'Though I'm not sure which part of the Fox is slow and relaxed. Trying to get it to leave sure, but pushing lightly?'**

 _'I see your point, but Naruto will overcome the Fox, just give him time.'_

Sakura left him to his work, not that he noticed he was so absorbed, and strutted towards Sasuke, who was fiddling with his pouch absentmindedly. She stomped loudly to get his attention and his bag was back on his upper hip.

"Okay, sorry for the wait, Sasuke-kun, Naruto didn't quite understand my teachings."

He scoffed. "Didn't expect him to, the dobe.'

She bit her tongue, refraining from commenting on his insult. Instead she diverted his attention to her chakra workout.

"Okay, let me show you your own exercise. It's slightly dangerous." She backhanded her own pouch, feeling around inside for a small piece of metal. Finding none, she remembered the last time she really thought about her weapons was during her fight with Haku. Maybe that senbon back at the tent wasn't so 'disposable' after all.

With an irritated sigh she unlocked her pouch, holding it her hands to search for something. Her hand brushed against cold metal, and she undid the flap of cloth hiding her new daggers on a hook where no one would notice. And no one did, not even her.

 _'I honestly forgot about these.'_

 **'That's not new.'**

With a mental shrug she took them off the hook and let them dangle in her fingers while she strapped her now completely empty kunai pouch back on.

"You should keep weapons on you at all times," she heard Sasuke lightly reprimand. She snorted at her misfortune. "I know, right..I don't know where my weapons are..anyway." She took both the daggers in her hands and lunged them at him to show their use in her presentation. She talked as she worked to attach the dagger onto her upper arm.

"I was originally going to do this on the palm of my hand, but you know. My shuriken are long gone." She let her hand keep it in place. "Okay, so imagine you've got a shuriken on _your_ palm. Attach it there with chakra. It's harder then it looks." Her hand let go of the premium knife. "I don't have much chakra so it's much easier for me. If you add too much chakra,"

She made a show of letting the dagger sink into her skin, blood beading up at the edges of the sharpened parts, "The shuriken will sink into your palm," she said with a slight wince. "Too little chakra," she showed him the dagger slowly receding away from her flesh but abruptly falling off, "the shuriken will fall off. "

She snatched up the knife with one swift movement. "For now, you should put the shuriken flat against your palm, and when you master that, you can let it hang from one of the edges. " She stared at the knife quizzically as he pulled out a shuriken before dropping it in her pouch with a sigh.

She walked over to the Uchiha, who was now sitting under a tree's shade, when he suddenly winced and let the shuriken drop. Not that the wince was very noticeable, of course. She crouched in front of him, for once letting her irritating strands of hair get in her face.

She pointed to her hand which suddenly took on a dull shine. "Is usually cover my hands in a thin layer of chakra to avoid the pain being too much."

He gave her a hard stare. "So you do this daily?" The silence suddenly wasn't so comfortable, it was tense with an awaited answer.

In all her years, Sakura never found fibbing as hard as it was in that moment. At the same time her insides turned to ice a warmth erupted in her chest before her stomach constricted.

She rubbed the back of her neck in a placating manner, her war-hardened instincts taking over. "Well, I've always tried to train. I didn't have anyone to help me, being civilian and all, so..there was only so much I could do.."

She prayed to God that he'd believe her excuse, and realized her prayers were answered when he gave her an appraising glance, as if seeing her in a new light, before he turned back to his training. She gave him a quick grin before twisting on her heels. "You're training is tomorrow!" She threw over her shoulder at him. The pinkette's answer was a loud grunt, but that was more than enough for her. She thought she heard a small, "see you tonight," but she was probably imagining things.

 _[Restart]_

Her feet made a soft padding sound as she climbed up the stairs wearily. Twisting and turning her chakra like that in her weak form was devastating to her pathetic stamina.

She soon reached the top of the creaky steps, taking a sharp left turn into the room all three of the Konoha Genin were assigned. Her hand lingered on the doorframe as she walked in, qipao flowing quietly behind her.

She put herself in the corner of the room, where shadows covered her petite form, and adjusted into an Indian sitting position. Legs crossed, arms lax in her lap, shoulders back, eyes closed.

 **'Ah, meditation,'**

She coiled her chakra inside of her, packing it into a tight ball at her core, feeling it wriggle and rebel, before nitpicking at it and putting it back where it belongs. She packed it tighter and tighter, and as she did she felt...something else emerge from her body, something powerful.

With a swift movement she released her hold on her chakra and it erupted through her system as it was supposed to, ransacking her chakra coils as it filled up her body quickly before overflowing like a clogged pipe.

In a practiced movement she immediately let her chakra circulate through her, calming it. She could feel the excess chakra explode through her orifices before halting at her command, wafting from her nose, her eye ducts and lids, her mouth, her ears. It tasted like guarded secrets. It felt like a dull, numbed and familiar pain.

Without even knowing it, she reflexively channeled her chakra into her forever nonexistent Yin Seal storage, as she had been doing for years. She let it flow like veins up to her forehead, and she felt something...break.

It was tiny, almost imperceptibly small, but not small enough for her not to notice. There was a crack in the coils around her core, and she felt chakra seep through that crack, flowing immediately up to her forehead.

 **'Outer, stop that!'**

Sakura's eyes snapped open, greener than ever, almost glowing and she halted all movement of chakra in her system.

 _'What..was that?'_

 **'The better question is, what exactly happened to our Yin Seal when we traveled through time?'**

She sat in shocked silence, quietly fixing her chakra coils with internal Medical Ninjutsu as she thought over this new development. The pinkette could feel a separate source of chakra inside of her, gathered at the middle of her forehead and underneath her navel. Her core.

And with closer inspection, it was the exact amount she had remembered having before time traveling, if not more. A few days' more.

 _Had she been doing this unconsciously?_

"If I use my chakra," she breathed, "will I be adding to my Yin Seal? Will it show up? Did it malfunction?" She never wanted a brain scan more than she did right now.

With belated realization, she knew she couldn't warp her forehead with bandages; the nurses will ask and with her seal glitching as it is now, it could mysteriously pop up anywhere, at any time. But she also couldn't put on a light genjutsu, the Sharingan would see through it immediately and that would warrant some unwanted questions from Kakashi.

The only thing she can do now is keep a tight rein on her chakra, and stop mediating. Things are getting out of hand very quickly.

But why is it at her core, too? Unless..

 _'It's the space-time continuum, isn't it?'_

 **'It is.'**

It's already a known fact that fuuinjutsu travels through space-time Ninjutsu, which means it _also_ travels through the space time continuum. With all the different seals that can be made Sakura isn't surprised that storage seals are unaffected even when traveling through time. Heck, the space-time continuum and fuuinjutsu is why she's screwing with past events in the first place.

The space-time continuum and her seal must have merged somehow because after one admittedly pathetic meditation ceremony, she has two Yin Seal storages at the same level. Nearly full.

 _'Now I understand why Jiraiya-Sama made me a Seal Master in preparation for my mission.'_

 **'Hey, include me, too!'**

 _'Maybe I can gradually transfer all my forehead storage to my navel? Meditation and chakra control can do that, right?'_

 **'Yes, if I-or we, remember correctly. Now I'm wondering just how much of what we achieved in the future has come back to us in the past..'**

 _'That thought...actually scares me. It will take a while to transfer a nearly full Yin Seal storage all to a newer, equally almost-full Yin Seal storage. But it's worth it if my cover isn't blown.'_

"But now that I have the Yin Seal nearly ready at twice it's normal level..sealing Black Zetsu and Orochimaru doesn't seem so far off." Sh mumbled quietly as she slowly relaxed out of her position, bringing her legs up to her chest in the dark corner.

"How much am I now capable of...?"

 _[Restart]_

Sakura's eyes opened impassively, waking from her thankfully dreamless sleep by the ring of her internal clock.

 **'These things never fail to come and bite us in the butt. Come ON, it's like 5AM!'**

 _'We're shinobi, stop complaining.'_

As usual she was too weary to even attempt to comment hotly this early as she pulled herself up on her futon, letting emerald eyes adjust to the darkness in the room. She sent her chakra out in a small wave, picking up three civilian chakras and Kakashi and Naruto in the house. She felt Sasuke outside.

' _So this was the training he was talking about. If only he told me these things directly.'_

She put a hand to her mouth and breathed, satisfied to note that her breath was still.. _relatively_ fine as she threw on some cotton shorts and a light tank. With a quick stretch she slipped on her sandals and leaped out the door, augmenting her fall with chakra as she landed on one knee, bangs covering her eyes.

She peeled through the pink waterfalls to see a certain Uchiha staring impassively down at her, a bit of pride in his eyes, though she focused in on the telltale signs of sleep deprivation there instead.

 **'Seems like he just got up, too.'**

She got up silently off the grass and stared at him, his bangs flowing around his face gracefully, she had to physically stop herself from smiling. "You said we'd be training.." she started slowly. "What...are we going to do?"

He stared at her as if she was an idiot. "We're going to train your physical body. You're weak."

She rubbed the nonexistent sleep out of her eyes. "Oh, okay...um, did you finish the exercise?" She couldn't help the apprehension she felt when alone with him in the dark, not after everything he's put her through.

"Hn." He pulled out a shuriken and stuck it to his palm on its edge without any theatrics. Waving his hand around as if she were brain dead he let the shuriken drop. Sakura perked up, ready to teach him a new technique. It seems he's been practicing all day.

After telling him her plan she ran ahead of him into a ray of moonlight, turning slightly so he was still in her vision as she ran ahead blindly, untamed pink locks flowing with her movement like water. He jogged to catch up with her and she set her things down on the ground for more freedom of movement.

She made a move to start something before pausing, her cheeks turning a light pink in slight embarrassment. She let her face return to its natural color before turning toward him sheepishly. He stared at her impassively. "Would you mind coming with me to the docks, actually?" He made a move with his shoulders that she will now note is a shrug before walking ahead of her, as he always has been.

She watched for a second before following after him quietly, a bit lost in her negative thoughts.

She was pulled out by the slight rippling sound she knew came from water as she looked down to see they were at the docks. She plopped herself down on the edge, legs swinging wildly over it and Sasuke joined her quietly.

"Okay, so what I'm about to show you is just theory; I've been doing it for a while and I'm not sure if this is the correct way to teach you, but this was how I learned. I'm gonna show you how to walk on water." She mumbled quietly, a niggle in the back of her head telling her this was not the time to raise her voice.

The Uchiha visibly straightened. "Like Kakashi-sensei was doing?" She turned to face him, lips parted. "Kakashi-sensei walked on water?" She asked incredulously. He shook his head, as if remembering something. "You weren't there. Get on with it."

She unceremoniously slid off the dock's edge, still propped up on it but her feet were flirting with the cold liquid. "So what I'm doing here is sending chakra to my feet like the tree walking exercise, but instead of keeping it packed solid it's a light layer, and I'm sending it out in waves from the balls of my feet, allowing it to adjust to the water's small waves."

She fully let go of the wood, now standing on top of the water. The small ripples coming outward from her feet were apparent now that she was putting her full weight on it. "This is still trial and error for me, and I'm not sure if this method will work for you, but I wanted to be of some help, since you're devoting so much time to me." The pinkette murmured.

The water swerved under her feet, being the only light in the darkness they were shrouded in. It was giving off an ethereal light blue glow, sending away the black. With the neon fish sprinting under her toes Inner Sakura couldn't help but feel the scene was like a fantasy.

 _'Ah, you're making me blush,'_

 **'A goddess, floating atop the holy water, candyfloss hair coating her from all sides, hovering in its own right, and the dark knight, reaching out a hand to steady her, black bangs flowing shamelessly around his pale face, onyx orbs twinkling, the only sound heard was the rustle of liquid and the only thing seen was blue-SHOOT WE'RE UNDER!'**

Sakura was staring into the bottomless pits of black one second, and inhaling water the next, thrashing under its condescending grip. She stilled for a second, strands of hair framing her heart shaped face before she was roughly pulled out by the forearm, a familiar scene, her Inner supplied, dropped onto the deck coughing harshly.

"What happened to you?" She heard a voice—Sasuke, she remembered—heatedly reprimand her. "I-I got distracted, so sorry." She coughed under her breath before sitting up slowly, hunched over the docks edge with her wet pink hair slapping her face irritably.

She snuck a peek toward her crush to see he was also dripping wet, glaring at her. "Did you fall?"

' _You pulled me down."_

"Did I? I am so, _so_ sorry."

 **'Hmph, can't keep things cliche for a second, can you?'**

"Not happening again, not happening again." Sakura assured him, pushing herself farther back on the dock to prove her point, a water puddle following after her. "So..how well did you do?" She asked awkwardly. The Haruno couldn't help but admit, she really ruined the moment there. _But._ There was no moment, she assured herself.

"Hn. I was slipping, but I think I've got it figured out."

"I didn't get to finish earlier..ahem, you seem like a distracted learner. We can spar on the water if you'd like."

"That will have to do. You're still weak."

"Well, that's what we're here for, isn't it?"

She didn't mean to sound a bit mad in that statement, because really she was just frustrated and cold, but Sasuke grunted and slid off the edge of the dock, right onto the water where he held strong. Wasn't called a prodigy for nothing. Sakura grinned and followed after his lead, racing to the middle of the glowing lake.

And they sparred. And sparred. And sparred. Sakura lost herself in the flurry of movements, her smile imprinted on her face with each punch, each kick, each roll and each flip. And even Sasuke was smirking. Not only did they train their control but they got familiar with each other's fighting styles. Little by little, Sasuke was coaxing her out of her mask, out her Academy style and back into the one she'd perfected herself. The one she was comfortable with.

And she knew he could tell the difference.

He tried to get her with a perfectly executed sweep kick, his foot skidding across the water's surface cleanly. Sakura jumped over it flawlessly and aimed for his left bicep, where she caught an opening in his guard. What was unexpected was for him to grab her fisted, rigid arm, and throw her over his shoulder.

She shook off the surprise and used her free hand to latch onto his shoulder, keeping her in place. Instead of rolling across the water she flew over his shoulder, in between his legs, and right in his guard.

Just as she was about to get him with a palm strike to the chest, which was NOT in the Academy curriculum, he suddenly towered over her, before she was flying through the air for a split second and stopped suddenly, jolting her bones. Before she could even blink they were hidden in a tree, her knees pressed against her chest, the raven's chest pressed to her face, his palm pressed to her mouth, his knees pressed to her hips, effectively locking her in. Inner weakly protested, feeling her fangirl self flame.

 _'I yield.'_

 **'I yield.'**

Her face turned a bright red, mind plowing through erotic thoughts before she could take a staggering breath. Her heart exploded in her chest, she could feel the blood rushing to her face as she was getting lightheaded.

But that was before she heard a little whisper. "Gato-Sama sure has this all planned out.." her cool facade returned as she strained to hear what they were saying, internally facepalming before augmenting her hearing with chakra.

In the corner of her eye she could see two large figures at the docks, apparently laughing and telling stories. Was this why Sasuke put them here?

"Augh! That Zabuza...thinking he 'get away with anythin, just 'cause he be strong.." The larger man suddenly barked out laughter, Reminding her of a chainsaw. "Well, we'll dispose of him in a weeks time at that bridge...he won' even see it comin', the fool! Wahahahaa!"

Her eyes widened. Did this happen last time? Can she save Zabuza and Haku this way?

The smaller man suddenly giggled, as if he were too small to be of raucous laughter like the larger man. "That pesky bridge-builder..we'll get rid of him, too, and pjust like we got rid of everythin' else. Then he suddenly paused, as if forgetting something. "Hey, man, what's the way to the hideout again?"

The older man sighed as if he were a parent. "Come on. Opposite side of the lake from 'ere, through the thick part of the trees. Jus cuz' yer new don't mean you get off easily like this all the time,"

He exploded into laughter once more was he backhanded his friend into the lake, strutting off with his grunt following behind.

Sasuke's fingers were digging into her skin and he was pressing her harder and harder into the bark, she could feel it quietly splinter underneath the pressure. The only reason she was controlling her maybe-flaming face so well was because he might look down soon now that they've left.

She tried to keep her focus on the prospect that she might be able to save their enemies, but Sasuke pushes her harder into the tree as her twelve year old body hormones kicked in, and she gripped her ankles harshly to stop from crying out with..victory? _Woah, what the?_

 **'Sorry, your twelve year old self is coming back to me.'**

So instead the pinkette focused on clearing her mind, closing her eyes and steadying her breathing, so she won't embarrass herself in this situation.

But she was cold, and this shared body heat was very appealing..

She locked her ankles in a death grip as she felt Sasuke's chest rumble with warped words on her cheeks as he pushed off from her.

Her head snapped up fervently as he apologized quietly, clearly not paying attention. She soon got herself in order and was able to look back down only to see Sasuke's bangs covering his eyes and his cheeks tinged a light pink. He was wet, but not soaking wet and with Inners comments she wished he wasn't so cold so she could see a darker color.

A shudder involuntary racked through her and her teeth started chattering. Sasuke abruptly looked up at her before turning away and hopping off the branch, also slightly shivering. She followed suit soon after.

So there they were, standing awkwardly in the moonlight, freezing cold, but full of information.

"...let's get inside, shall we, Sasuke-kun?"

"...Sure..."

 **END OF CHAPTER 8**

 **What up, guys, sorry for the wait, I had a bunch of stuff to do during the week and I'm still not finished with all my jobs. I'm going to have to do the rest tomorrow. Anyway I'm tired so you better have enjoyed that. Plot is starting soon. Yay. So tired... hope you enjoyed! Leave a like, leave a comment, leave a review, or just leave. I need sleep.**


	9. nine

_[Restart]_

 **I am getting ready to add angst and stuff into the story, starting with blatant distrust and working my way up from there. I'm not sure if this will scare you, but I'll make sure you know Sakura is always looking over her shoulder.**

 _[Restart]_

 _A stinging pain in her abdomen broke her from her thoughts. She cried out in pain, for the hundredth time today, as the long strip of metal twisted and was roughly pulled out, her blood greedily following._

 _Under the hue of the red sky and the black sun, no one could help her. She was in a obsidian color here, where even she could not tell the difference between her skin and the ground, wherever it was._

 _Being crucified on this god awful cross._

 _Her once green now blue eyes shut tightly in pain once again as a kunai seeped into her thigh._

 _'Get through it.'_

 _A senbon was dragged from underneath cracked lips all the way down to her chest, flirting with the arteries hidden by rough skin on her neck._

 _'Get through it.'_

 _The shuriken attacked her arm, getting acquainted with the once red now black spurting out from her veins._

 _'Get through it!'_

 _She let her eyes flutter closed and focused on the pain. Focused on every little scratch, every little sting, every little gash._

 _The pinkette heard the sound of glass breaking, and opened her eyes to see the Tsukiyomi world destroying in shards._

 _She fell from her cross, her injuries disappearing but the pain remaining as she fell face first onto the ground._

 _"Good."_

 _She dragged herself up onto her knees, onto the dry brittle grass, and looked up at her tormenter, her teacher._

 _Silky black hair into a low ponytail and blood red eyes with a backdrop of onyx, he stared down at her pathetic form impassively._

 _"Do it again, and do it faster."_

 _'If I'm going to go back in time I have to be ready,'_

 _Was what she said to herself in alternative of breaking down._

 _Circulating what little chakra she had left in her body she jumped to her feet, ready to endure._

 _[Restart]_

 **—Restart—**

 _"endure"_

 _[Restart]_

Naturally, the first thing they did was report to Kakashi.

Sitting around the rickety table at eight in the morning, the sun wasn't even visible over the morning mist.

Sakura had her hands clasped together in front of her nervously while Sasuke relayed the information they had gained from the enemy. Kakashi looked sullen, from being woken up when he would've procrastinated or from the new info, she did not know.

He soon spoke up, bringing her out of her thoughts. "This is...fortunate, in a way," he started apprehensively. The pinkette took a sharp breath, this could possibly affect future events.

"We don't have to necessarily go after Zabuza anymore..from what I've been told he was only in it for the money, and now that he's being betrayed...well. That's one less enemy we have to deal with, but this also brings up more."

Her eyes narrowed a bit at that as Sasuke deflated at the prospect of losing a rematch. What happens next?

"If Gatō plans to attack the town again, he's our new enemy. "

 _Oh._

 **'At least Zabuza and Haku will live.'**

 _'This was originally a favor for Naruto, but do they hold any value in his heart now?'_

She let her hands relax. "If Gatō is as big as people say he is around here...wouldn't he have a hideout?" She questioned, looking for Sasuke to see their objective. The avenger perked up at that.

"Good eye, as always, Sakura," Kakashi complimented, expecting her to beam proudly under the praise. Instead, all he got was a bitten lower lip and lowered eyes. Interesting, he'd file this away for later.

"So that means...we have to take out their entire hideout.." she mumbled distractedly.

 _'This is fine. Naruto told me stories about how the bandits took over again after we left, so this is fine..'_

"But why the entire hideout?" Sasuke inquired quietly. Kakashi was more than happy to share. "We were hired to protect the bridge builder, yes? Well, Zabuza and Haku are no longer interfering, but Gatō is. Ergo, we must eliminate him. And the only way to keep him from coming back-"

"-Is to destroy all his forces and weaken him to the point of surrender. Or kill him." Sasuke interrupted rudely before going back to his aloof posture. Sakura inwardly applauded his speedy understanding.

They discussed tactics for most of the afternoon, the Uchiha adding his five cents in between, but mostly just observing.

Kakashi put his masked jaw in his palm. "So, I hear you guys have been training after hours. Any progress?" The two Genin jumped at that; how'd he figure it out?"

"As sharp as ever, sensei," the emerald-eyed girl congratulated sarcastically. "Well, we keep getting sidetracked and-"

He smiled like a teenage girl.

"Sidetracked? With what? _Do_ tell."

"A-as I was _saying_ , we were-"

"Hn. It's just chakra control training."

A little miffed at being interrupted twice, but not enough to hide her surprise, she glanced at Sasuke with slightly wide eyes before turning back to Kakashi. "You heard Sasuke-kun. Anyway, I need to get going over to the clinic, we've got a long-term patient I have yet to fully diagnose. See you later, Sasuke-kun, sensei."

She spared them a small wave and a smile before turning on her heels and marching up the creaking staircase. "Naruto's going with you! Wake him up!" Kakashi called behind her. "'Course!" The Haruno responded, reaching the top of the stairway faster, now that there was a destination in mind.

The real oak wood was solid under her bare feet as she barged into the room the three students shared for the mission. On the askew futon in the middle of two empty and folded ones, was a sleeping ball of orange and blue.

She let out a snigger before kicking her long-time friend in the behind. The ball shot up at the sharp pain before rubbing its rear and cursing under his breath. He immediately turned on the person behind him to give them a talking to before he spotted a flash of pink.

His stern gaze melted into a warm and excited beam. "Sakura-Chan! 'Mornin!"

"Good morning, Naruto. I've got to go to the clinic and Kakashi said you'd be guarding me. Are you up for the task?"

The blonde jumped up from his futon. "Always!"

 _[Restart]_

"Is that her?"

"Yes, it's her...!"

"Our savior!"

" _The Pink Doctor!_ "

The familiar smell of antiseptic calmed her jittering nerves almost immediately. Honestly, if an enemy were to recognize her with that ridiculous nickname going around..she tuned out the talking Naruto was doing in her ear and opened the curtain separating her from her enterprise.

The pinkette saw nurses happily scurrying to and fro, a stabilized man in the corner of the renovated tent getting the most treatment.

She sidestepped a bandaged child easily and pulled on her lab coat, noting that Memura-san was not here today to take care of the high-tiers.

The numbers coming to the small hospital were rapidly decreasing after she made order in the village, and their resources were increasing in precision. And as everyone says apparently, even the nurses, it's all thanks to the 'Pink Doctor.'

Sakura quickly moved over to the not-there-yesterday pristine desk and chair where scrolls and calligraphy pens were laid out and checked the instructions she made the day before, happy to see many scrawled notes at the bottom with different diagnoses.

"Wow, Sakura-Chan! Quite a business you've got running here! Though I wouldn't expect any less from you!" She smiled at the compliments she didn't deserve that the Uzumaki graced her with.

"Thank you, Naruto, but you don't have to stay. Start training if you'd like." He looked relieved at this because he gave her a thousand watt grin before rushing out of the tent, and she could hear the tell-tale pops of Shadow Clones echoing throughout the area.

 **'One disturbance gone.'**

 _'You're so rude.'_

She turned on her heel, the gravel floor crunching underneath her reinforced sandals, and walked with purpose in her steps toward the only patient that even generally needed her attention.

He was in much better condition than the last time she saw him; his skin was in a healthy flush instead of the sickly green bordering on purple she saw last time, and checking his vitals his blood pressure is in control.

A quick diagnostic Jutsu later and she found that while the bacteria may not have been fully identified, with closer inspection it was nothing new and what the nurses have been doing so far was correct.

A feeling of pride welled up in her chest. Looks like all her hard work has paid off; they'll be just fine on their own. "Let me congratulate you all on your work with this man," she started, looking at his peaceful face.

"I didn't contribute in any way yet you still pulled through and saved him, even more impressively done overnight. I'm extremely proud, and certain you all will operate smoothly without my guidance."

Their chakra signatures rippled with bashfulness as they happily went back to work. With an exhale, she wriggled her toes in her sandals before stepping out of the tent, a Kage Bunshin exploding at her feet.

She jumped back instinctively before analyzing the sights before her. It didn't take much effort to hold back her gasp.

It seems Naruto inadvertently took up the reins of entertainment and busied everyone waiting in line with his sparring spectacles. And with further observation there are people gazing heatedly at the fight and even a few bets being placed.

 _'I don't want to take away the crowd's fun, but I'm done for the day. We need to get back for team training.'_

 **'And I'm sure Naruto would _love_ to show you his progress so far..'**

She brought a latex covered hand up to her mouth and coughed conspicuously. "Ehh, Naruto," all the clones stopped and stared at her expectantly. It cost five of them, who got tripped and punched since their attackers didn't stop in time. "Sakura-Chan?" They all said simultaneously.

"I'm finished here, wasn't much work to do, so...we have to get back to team training." She could see he wasn't about to move, so she threw him a bone. "I'm sure Sasuke-kun hasn't gotten too far in his training, so you must be ahead. But it doesn't hurt to check.."

Now that got the ball rolling. "No way is Sasuke-teme _AHEAD_ of me!"

 **'You have no idea.'**

"Come on, let's go prove my awesomeness to his cold fishness-ness!" He grabbed her hand, jerking her forward slightly before taking off in a freezing sprint, clones dispersing left and right covering the duo in chakra-laced smoke.

They emerged from the cloud quick enough, wisps clinging to their skin gracefully before Sakura caught up with Naruto's demanding pace.

Not too long after the ground they were walking on switched from dry gravel and dirt to lush green grass. They ran into the training field where the team usually practiced, the pinkette finally letting go her hold on her chakra and falling to the ground, exhausted from the high speeds.

 **'Strong who?'**

 _'Inner, you little-'_

"This early?" Sasuke said, sliding down a tree silently. Was that a senbon stuck to his bicep? She squinted a bit to get a better look but his clothes had already settled.

"Yeah, Sakura-Chan organized the clinic so well there was barely anything for her to do!" Naruto commented behind her. She shook her head slightly to rid herself of dumb thoughts before turning to Sasuke, giving him a grin. "It's all thanks to the nurses. Anyway. What have you done so far, Sasuke-kun?"

"Just chakra control exercises. You two, laps around the field till I say so." Naruto glared in resignation and was about to take off once more before Sakura's hand on his collar stopped him. "Naruto, do your chakra control exercises while running, they are supposed to be second nature to you."

He contemplated for a nanosecond before giving her a foxy grin. "You're so smart, Sakura-Chan!" He said, before taking off, plucking a leaf from a stray branch on his way.

"Get moving." Sasuke reminded her. She took a deep breath before following Naruto.

 _[Restart]_

"That's enough."

Sakura collapsed before her brain caught up with her body and held her hands out in front of her to soften the fall. Having successfully diverted breaking her nose, she rose up onto her knees, just in time to catch the canteen of what she assumed was water thrown from Naruto.

"Thank you," she said breathlessly. She inhaled the liquid in front of her, circulating healing chakra through her muscles and veins to relax her body and lower her heart rate.

Soon she was back in order in less than 30 seconds and she jumped to her feet, hungry for more.

 **'No kidding. I've- _we've_ been waiting for this!'**

"Woah! You were just exhausted a second ago!" Naruto exclaimed. She threw him a peace sign. "Chakra control, of course! I circulated healing chakra through my muscles and veins to relax my tense body and lower my heart rate!"

Sasuke looked a bit surprised, evidently having not known what use chakra control would really be to him. Though Naruto started jabbering about how she was the best in no time. "Can we get back on subject please?"

"Hn. You two, come here." The two weaker Genin walked up to the prodigy Uchiha. He knelt down as he took a Scroll from his hip, bringing his fingers to his mouth and wiping some of his blood inside the intricate seal patterns, which soon erupted into puffs of smoke.

 _'Ah, I was told by Ino clan children learned how to use storage seals at an early age. I wonder, why didn't he demonstrate back then?'_

Once Sasuke waved the smoke away he pulled out eight thick black straps, four in each hand. With a sideways glance she discovered that Naruto was mesmerized by the whole process.

"How..how'd you do that?" He whispered for once, too taken aback by the performance he just witnessed to even incorporate an insult in his words.

 **'I Of course he'd be interested in fūinjutsu. With a father like Minato and a mother like Kushina, a godfather like Jiraiya..'**

Sasuke ignored the blonde easily, instead opting to throw the bands in their faces. They had the decency to take a step back catching the surprisingly weighty objects, what Sakura quickly recognized as shinobi default weights, rubbery in their hands.

"They're weights," Sasuke explained, mostly to Naruto having noticed Sakura's recognition. "Clip them on to your ankles and wrists, and don't, _ever_ , take them off unless you're showering."

Sakura heard the telltale snap of the weights falling into place snugly onto her ankles and wrists, and stood up once more. It didn't take Naruto long to get his weights on, too.

She let a small wave of nostalgia fall over her, remembering using the same weights, adjusting the amount nearly every other day, during the nine grueling years under Tsunade's tutelage.

The pinkette acknowledged fully that the weights contrasted starkly with her outfit, as did her hair.

 **'Why couldn't we have made our outfit match our eyes instead? This is hideous.'**

 _'It's just training, I'll change my outfit after we get back to Konoha. When'd you turn into Ino?'_

"Channel chakra into your weights and stop once they glow. Keep putting chakra into your weights after you grow adjusted to the first count. It should only be about 5 pounds." Sasuke droned, snapping on his own weights.

The Genin complied and she saw Naruto visibly sag as the weight was added. She channeled her own chakra into the weights and nearly fell over after they started to glow. That was a surprising difference. Well, with this body, it was.

 _'I wonder if we're ever going to actually get to Naruto's training.'_

 _ **'Most likely not, but we're all prodigies here, so.'**_

 _'You consider yourself a_ prodigy

 **'Gasp. Are you exiling me from your body? I'd like to see you try.'**

 _'Ooh, he's saying something.'_

"...and finish with five laps. Sakura."

She stared at him, now at attention. Naruto grumbled rebelliously as he ran off to do one exercise after another. "We have time. Spar with me." She stilled.

 _'I thought that was just a night thing. Oh well, he did say whenever we have time.'_

"Okay, Sasuke-kun," she replied obediently, following after him as he walked ahead, his form deftly avoiding a stray kunai from Naruto's workspace.

Sakura plucked it out of the air dangerously, deciding to keep it till she can find a way to replenish her lackluster amount of weapons.

Wind whistled delightfully, ruffling her dress and allowing goosebumps to inch up her exposed legs as she stopped in the clearing, the lagging breeze from Sasuke's motion just now reaching her.

"Get ready," he stated. The boy slid cleanly into the Uchiha fighting style, the Interceptor Fist. Sakura silently critiqued his stance as she went into the standard Academy fighting style.

She felt uncomfortable as Sasuke eyed her up and down disapprovingly. She stayed stock still in her stance, not attempting to give him tidbits of the one she's created over the years. After all, Kakashi might be watching.

She signaled this to him with her no-nonsense expression and he responded with a resigned 'Hn,' before racing at her.

They sparred for a while, the clap of flesh against flesh the only significant sound in the dull fight. Sakura was confused; the last time they fought, it was exhilarating and the pinkette had trouble keeping her grin off her face.

But now, she was hard-pressed not to frown, but Sasuke had no such restraints. He was brooding publicly and she could see he knows this fight it boring, too.

He suddenly halted. "Stop. Just stop..." The boy commanded. She stopped, straightening up, a rather thick sheen of sweat glistening on her skin. He stared her up and down critically, as if she were the problem with the sudden change in enjoyment, before he averted his eyes shrewdly. He looked as if he wanted to put his head in his hands.

"Lap 5 times around the field. When you're done, 100 pull ups from sturdy branches. When that's over, 50 push ups then go through your katas. Stretch then repeat till I say stop. " She couldn't quench the relieved smile that creeped onto her face. Finally she was getting somewhere. So without any complaint she started a light jog around the large area.

She watched Sasuke stare at her in her peripheral vision in masked confusion before remembrance and acceptance from what she'd been able to tell flashed across his features as he swiftly turned around towards Naruto.

She focused her attention ahead of her, jerkily sidestepping a tree she was about to collide with due to her lanky limbs and sped on forward.

With the wind chilling the sweat on her brow, she trained. Soon finishing her laps she went straight into the more hands on exercises, starting all over again when finished and not complaining once.

Her body weeped at the stress she was inflicting but the pinkette didn't let that get to her. Even though she didn't feel much difference when Sasuke finally called her off and she dropped in a heap to the ground, like a switch had been turned off, she knew it was doing something.

"Hn. You're done."

Sakura watched Naruto screech with relief, for once out of energy.

 **'What could Sasuke have come up with to actually deflate that boy so much?'**

 _'Dunno, but I'd love to have a copy.'_

"Tomorrow, same routine. Dobe, go to Kakashi, he needs to fill you in on something."

 **Oh _yeah_ , Naruto wasn't there when we planned for the hideout!'**

 _'No dip.'_

" _Sakura_. Stay here, I need to speak with you."

 _[Restart]_

Over the days, weeks, months Sakura's been back in time, plagued by sleepless nights and constant worrying because she has not achieved anything to alter the storyline, she has become...lax, towards her infiltration duties to look the same, and put her mission ahead of her cover. But really, even with her stellar disguise there are some things she just can't hide.

Such as the small wince she exhibits every time she sees Naruto bounce around happily, innocently, when not even a full year ago he died in her arms, blood seeping out of his lifeless body and onto the cold hard ground, revealing to her the cold hard truth.

But it rewinded, everything rewinded, and she was forced to plaster a smile, to comfort the boy. But his eyes would always look dead to her.

She couldn't help but slightly recoil when Sasuke approached her, and fighting with him her survival instincts kicked in and she forced herself to stay away from choking him mercilessly in her once callused now soft hands. She couldn't hide the small amount of schadenfreude she felt when he was injured, or unlucky.

Some things follow you into the next world, and juggling with so many issues at the same time she will slip. So...

She hasn't ever felt more afraid when Sasuke pinned her behind a tree, blocking her from breathing with his arm and a kunai pressed to her throat.

Her breathing quickened, her pulse exploded, her eyes blurred with tears, and her arms twitched with the need to kill.

 ** _'Kill him, do it now!'_**

The Uchiha's face darkened with not at all hidden angst and suspicion. "You're not from here, are you?" He got close to her face, his breath flirted with the tip of her nose and she felt it twitch, itching to smell _Uchiha blood_. He couldn't have figured it out..!

"What do you mean, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura muttered, fighting to keep control over her emotions and her body, she wanted to see red. Her hitai-ate slid off her head when he pushed her harder against the bark, sliding at his foot and stopping there while her bangs slid down her face and obscured her eyes completely behind curtains of baby pink, stopping at the bridge of her nose.

"Who are you! You're not Sakura!" She swore his eyes flashed red and her heart leapt to her throat as the tears finally spilled over.

 _Please, don't let him activate it like this..._

"It was all for you.." she didn't realize she was whispering and it wasn't just in her head, and she could hear Inner speaking through her.

 _ **"Don't...don't touch me...!"**_

Sasuke hesitated at hearing her octave change drastically before he was pushed off roughly and pinned to the ground, Sakura on top of him with crazed green eyes. She got into his face, and he could pinpoint the yellow flecks hidden deep inside them as he confirmed his scary suspicions. This wasn't Sakura.

 ** _"I'm still me. Nothing has changed, Sasuke-kun! So help God if I want to better myself! Can't you look past your ego for once and see_ me**

She didn't mean for that last part, or any part of what she had just said to slip out, and Inner certainly regretted it. These words were not meant for this Sasuke.

"Why would I need to? You're already suspicious enough, suddenly changing your entire demeanor.. for an infiltrator, you're not very good at your job." He was apprehensive, looking at her with guarded eyes. He held his kunai in an iron grip, apparently waiting for the right moment to strike his unstable opponent.

Sakura put her head in her hands and screamed, releasing all the pent up frustration she'd built up over the past few years from this problem and the next.

" _NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU, SASUKE!_ I just want to change! I want to help! I want to be USEFUL!" She was spouting nonsense at this point, unknowingly sealing her fate as an enemy in Sasuke's eyes.

"I'm here, can't you see what I'm going through? I'm tired, and I'm worried! Everything is falling apart! It's all...already apart..you destroyed my life...I hate you so much but I love you so much..." she began mumbling to herself, a one man entertainment at this point. Putting the facts, unchangeable and solid, in front of her face: she was in love with Uchiha Sasuke, and that was never going to change.

She didn't realize she was being steadily backed into a wall before her back hit wood, and the sharp edge of a kunai was slowly but surely splitting her throat. She gasped in surprise as she regained control of her small meltdown and realized she was about to die. Sasuke gazed at her once more, eyes flashing from onyx to crimson rapidly.

 _Oh,_ please _don't activate because of_ me

"Give me one reason to believe you're a loyal shinobi of Konoha." He looked at her with shuttered eyes, and she could tell he didn't want to have his first kill behind a tree by himself. She regained control of her feelings and emotions, choosing her words carefully. "You once said to Naruto three years ago...that you appreciate intelligent company. "

 _'That was the reason I was so smart all along, heh.'_

He looked surprised at this admission but she didn't stop there. "What would I really have to gain by sitting down in a classroom and staring at you for six years?"

His grip on the kunai lessened slightly. "Sasuke-kun, you said it yourself..I'm weak. And annoying. And irritating. And a bother. And a stalker. But I want to change. So I can be useful. If not for my team, to prove my own existence. So much has already been taken from me..-" she cut off her swerve onto unsafe grounds when his kunai tightened. "I'm _real,_ okay! That meltdown...wasn't meant for you. I'm sorry."

He stared at her for a good minute, an agonizing minute as her life stood in his hands, before he unceremoniously dropped the kunai and it impaled the ground before her. Their faces were so close, expressions covered by their hair, breath tickling each other's cheeks, but he never looked so unattractive to her.

She would never see him the same way again.

The Uchiha backed up slowly and cautiously, going arms length away from her prone figure. "Fine. I believe you, for now. But you're going to need more proof for now, I've got my eye on you. "

He jumped into the treetops and leaped away from her still form.

 _'So easily..he was about to kill me so easily because I was a threat?'_

 _'He was going to kill me so easily because I changed?'_

 _'He was going to take a life, my life, someone he had known for six years because I'm getting in the way of his selfish goals?'_

She felt fear, _yes..that's what it was,_ sit at the pit of her stomach. Fear of Sasuke. Fear of just how far he was willing to go to get the job done. Fear of her teammate. Fear that she recognized too well to be normal.

 _Those insane red eyes._

And she didn't think this one would be going away any time soon.

 **END OF CHAPTER 9**

 **So, how did you like that? I can say shamelessly that I did not start writing this story till what, 7:00 PM today? Even with all my extra time. But I hope you liked it.**

 **See what I did there? Adding angst to the story. I'll pile on a lot then get rid of it little by little. Some things just won't start till the Chūnin Exams.**


	10. ten

_[Restart]_

 **Hello again. My family is starting something new, no electronics during the week. Can't wait for summer, this is bull. Anyway, angst was added last chapter, keep piling and I'm gonna have to speed through the Wave Mission, it's getting long-winded.**

 **I realized people actually bothered to type reviews and crap for me instead of just reading it so I was like: I should probably answer some of these questions. I'll answer some after the chappie.**

 **Anyway, please enjoy the next chapter! Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes, or inconsistent editing.**

 _[Restart]_

 _The freezing wind bit at her cheeks, but it wasn't fast enough. The coarse grains groped at her eyelashes, but it wasn't fast enough. She ran through alleyways twisting and turning in her weakened body, but of course, she wasn't fast enough._

 _A hand at her collar, pulling her up effortlessly into the air and closer to her impending doom before it crashed down on her child-sized skull._

 _Crashing to the ground, glass shards ripping open her flesh as she was kicked repeatedly in the ribs with the dirt-caked steel toed boots, a quiet crack emanating from her bones before white hot pain shot through her._

 _The only thing she could do was stare up curiously at the night sky, the full moon looking down at her, stars twinkling._

 _She found a safe haven in space, but it was only brief as her neck was twisted around and into the dirt._

 _Dirty brown hair curtained eyes and she was destroyed behind a trash can in the dark._

 _The girl didn't know how long they pulled and prodded at her, before finally snatching the bread away from her cracked nails, but when they spit on her cheek the girl thought it safe to look up, her determination unwavering._

 _A breadcrumb from their pursuit was lying in front of her, in all its glory, shining under the moonlight._

 _Her lightless brown orbs stared at it hungrily before a petite, broken finger picked it up delicately and lightly placed it on her tongue._

 _Her spirit fizzled out, hazelnut hair and eyes turning back to a muted dull color._

 _That tasted good._

 _The shaking girl picked herself up, pulling her ratty old cloak on once more as she pulled her bones back into place, deducing whether that breadcrumb would fill her up for the night._

 _It always has before, hasn't it?_

 _Sakura wasn't completely sure why her vision blurred and her eyes stung, but it seemed that under the flickering streetlight, covered by a strong gust of wind picking up sand from the coarse desert floor, that she realized she was truly alone._

 _But she watched, a shadow behind the small girl as she trekked on shamelessly, uncaring of anything but her survival till hell froze over._

 _Not much she could do other than that._

 _Not much anyone could do._

 _And it was all her fault._

 _[Restart]_

 **—Restart—**

 _"pain with no gain"_

 _[Restart]_

The paper hit the table with a resounding smack, the other people seated around it jumping up in surprise. The masked sensei just smiled at them before pointing to a forested area on the map. "See that? This is the closest place to the town where Gatō might have his hideout."

The only Uchiha put his head in his palm lazily, though his eyes were burning holes through the worn material. "What's the point of staying close to the town? Wouldn't a hideout be farther out from the perimeter in disguise?"

The gloved finger moved to circle the outskirts of the village. "Yes, that is sound reasoning. But, I want you all to investigate this area first. Any good tactician knows to divide his workspace. A part of Gatō's enterprise may be lurking here, so a search party of two will be heading into the forest. The other two will be searching the perimeter of the village and we'll all search the rest of the Land of Waves after that."

Naruto put his head in his hands, orange elbows clanking down on the creaking table. "This doesn't make any sense to me! Why can't we just find them and beat them up?!"

"Lower your voice, Naruto." The only pinkette and the table softly reprimanded. She kept her green eyes focused on the paper, blocking out the stare her suspicious teammate fixed her with.

Sakura has found it hard to focus for the past hour ever since they started planning, thoughts of her mission and her cover and the timeline sneaking up from behind and pushing their way to the forefront of her mind whenever given a chance, which was _all the time._

Also, the feeling of chakra slowly draining from the middle of her forehead to below her navel was ticklish and very distracting, causing her to scratch her stomach and fidget, blinking rapidly while doing so to stop from crying out.

Though now that they finally cracked the map out, she was able to hone in on a distraction, since all they've done for the past hour was assign jobs.

A polished fingernail shifted from underneath her tank to a peculiar spot on the map; a swampy clearing rather close to the lake she had sparred on with Sasuke. Just like the man had said, opposite side of the lake from the docks, through the thick brush. "I think I should go and search there, first," she started, pausing to look at their expressions. So far, no adamant refusal due to their assurance she was weak. Good. Her fingernail shifted on the paper once more, stopping at specific locations as she talked.

"While the information is not completely trustworthy, it's worth a shot. From what I've discovered, hideouts are usually in some sort of bizarre pattern to avoid discovering but to also make it easy to send information and materials from one area to another, or they're just one big cluster." Sakura stopped to take a breath, reminiscing of her times in the war. The hideouts were not even remotely close, but they had underground and overground transportation systems.

"I read a lot of books and this is what I've gathered. I'd say the places where Gatō, a mostly civilian enterprise, would hide out would be here in the brush next to the pond," her finger moved, "behind this clearing, parallel to this depression..." she continued to list off the most likely locations of smaller hideouts, before her finger stopped in the more dangerous part of the forest. "Or he's just one big building right. Here." She finished, knuckles sharp against the location to the only exit of the Land of Waves.

Her green finger retracted from the map slowly, giving her teammates time to mull over this new development. " _I still don't get it_. Can you teach me, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto deadpanned, before turning to her hopefully. "I'll explain it to you again later, okay Naruto?" "You're the best, Sakura-Chan!"

"-these locations reveal a much thought out plan. Good job, Sakura. " Kakashi said, interrupting Naruto. She nodded gravely. "It's just booksmarts." Her teacher continued. "Though if these are correct we'll have a whole lot more on our schedules than first assumed. Naruto, Sakura, you two are in a team together. Investigate the north and southeast of the village and the docks, while I and Sasuke will take north and southwest, parallel to your location." He pointed to specific areas on the map to showcase his directions. "We will all meet back at the house by sundown, check everything." He said, stressing the last word.

The two Genin boys sent each other dubious glances as their sensei dismissed them. The pinkette was about to get up, sliding out of her chair when Kakashi said "Sakura, stay."

Green eyes slid over to him warily as she let herself back down in her seat, noting his tense posture and the sideways glance Sasuke gave her before retreating up the stairs with Naruto in tow. Her hands were clutched into weak fists and her leg muscles were jittery.

 _'Why do I feel tattled on?'_

 **'I recognize the feeling when you're about to get reprimanded.'**

 _'No way Sasuke snitched.'_

 **'Using such childish terms, I see.'**

Kakashi looked out the window casually, but she could see the straining muscles in his neck. What a paranoid generation of shinobi she lived in. "How have you been, Sakura? You seem tense." She looked up at the wooden ceiling where she could hear the stomps of her blonde friend's feet, and the quiet screeching of the plastic ceiling fan as it turned.

Absently, she realized she could sympathize with that fan. Turning and turning, forced to keep working, even when she knew herself that any moment now she would shut down, just hoping it wasn't at an inconsiderate time.

But here she was, turning and turning once more, reborn into the youthful body she once knew, unharmed and clean, delicate and womanlike, unlike the plastic ceiling fan, which was dirty and scratched, yet sturdy.

She found herself unconsciously following the movement of the fan with her eyes, wanting to reach out and rip it from the sky. Belatedly, she answered her sensei's question without looking at him. "I'm fine, Kakashi-sensei."

Her hands left their fists and laid on the table, stunned. Kakashi turned to her. "You seem different." As should be expected.

"I've...noticed."

"You seem determined."

" _I've noticed_."

"Seems too close to be coincidence."

 _I know, right? But I'm worried and tired and I can't sleep at night because Sasuke is killing me in my dreams and I have to change the future by changing him and he doesn't trust me and I'm tired and I want to leave._

"You called me here for a reason, Kakashi sensei?" She looked back down at him just as his head turned back to her. She scratched her stomach unconsciously.

"Yes, I have." They sat in silence and Sakura wanted to pick at her nails but stopped herself from doing so, even if long silences meant _danger_ for shinobi. "You don't trust me, do you?"

"Not in the slightest."

Her face screwed up at that. "I don't see why it is so hard to believe that I want to change." Kakashi sighed. "It's not _hard to believe,_ it's just...not expected."

"Why isn't it expected? People like me should be expected to change the most, and very quickly."

"People like you usually don't make it very far in this world-"

"And why is that?"

"It's because they don't change."

" _Or is it because people don't let them?"_

" _Sakura_ -"

" _Why is it so hard to believe I want to be a part of the team? I understand shinobi can be paranoid but this isn't about a crush anymore. It's about survival_."

" _Survival or jealousy_?"

The green-eyed girl paused at that. It was clear her _fools_ of team members were not going to change their negative outlook on her and her success rate, even though it's rather high, so why convince them?

It seems Squad Seven was never meant to be a team after all.

"May I be excused?"

Kakashi sensei looked at her with his lone eye for a long moment while she stared back impassively, before it closed in a resigned manner. "Yes."

She shot to her feet, making her way up the stairs slowly but surely, passing by Sasuke, who was at the top of the steps clearly eavesdropping, without a word.

The floorboards creaked again as she made her way past him with rapidly clenching and unclenching fists.

Ninja can't handle change.

 _[Restart]_

Skin grated against the uneven bark unhappily when the pinkette took to a knee on a thick branch, surveying her surroundings carefully. She could feel her blonde friend's chakra signature like a beacon, rushing forward brashly while she stayed behind and covered their tracks.

 _'No sign of any hideouts here.'_

Hidden deep within the canopy's leaves, the emergent layer of the trees surrounded her like a dome, shadows of streaming light flicking on and off her skin with motion. All she could see was green. And ahead of her, of course.

Marking the tree inconspicuously with a chakra-sharpened nail, she catapulted off and onto the next, never looking up but cataloguing the forest floor. Her muscles were loose as she traveled on all fours, candy pink hair back in a bun behind her.

 **'Feel that?'**

She skidded to a stop as Naruto's signature wavered uncertainly before jumping up, and free falling unexpectedly. With more concentration due to the miles between them, there was a large cluster of grungy signatures close to a boatload of packed tight Nature chakra, which she could only assume was the sea due to its contrast with the forest open spacy Nature chakra wafting around her.

 _'Must have hit some bandits.'_

Using a third of the stealth she had in her war-equipped arsenal she made her way to the area of confrontation, hiding above while watching the scene below her.

Down below, her teammate was backed into a tree, a gang of thugs intimidating him while the rest were either glaring at him or sharpening tools loudly, (part of the reason she located them swiftly) a cottage sized building, or should she say _hideout_ in the distance. She stared each of them down impassively, calculating their skills and resources based on her first glance, which was rarely ever wrong. Back then. Or front then..?

 **'There's really not much to it. They're exuding 'pathetic' and tell-tale arrogance.'**

 _'Just because you can pull off a few flips doesn't make you a god.'_

She said to herself before shrugging mentally and leaping off her perch. The men started, hopefully realizing they were dealing with Ninja now, before Sakura saw relief and foolishness cloud their vision. _Here we go again._

" _Aw_ , it's just a little girl? What are you gonna do, _scratch us with your pretty nails_?"

' _A tree could handle it, we doubt you could.'_

"You're a pretty cute one, what're you doing out _here_ , so far away from home?"

 **'Our home has been burnt to the ground by our teammate and we're here to fix it.'**

"Let's have some fun with her before she goes running off like a _squirrel_."

' _Too true, too true.'_

"Look, she's shaking in her sandals!"

That last one made the pinkette release a quiet snort, as she was perfectly still and they were colliding into one another, before schooling herself.

' **Nothing flashy, Naruto is here after all.'**

And he's looking at her with fear. For her. Nothing new, sadly. "Sakura-Chan, get out of here! They could _hurt you_!"

 _I'm a ninja, Naruto. Part of the job, you orange degenerate._

 **'Harsh!'**

She wanted to scream. Held herself in. Took a deep breath.

 **'Let it out on the burly meatheads. They won't even be able to touch us.'**

"Come on, Naruto. _Let's finish these guys_."

The girl felt the bravery in her teammate rise.

She moved.

 _[Restart]_

A nose-to-knee and the last one was out. Sakura watched Naruto wince at the impact on his kneecap and stumble as she wiped her hands on her sturdy dress, red smearing onto red (maybe she had something going there when she chose the color), before slipping a kunai out from the pouch on Naruto's backside, making it look easy as her hand twisted and the fabric in her dress ripped a makeshift bandage for his one large wound.

The neglected Namikaze looked up at her with amazement and gloated of her accomplishments. "You did it, Sakura-Chan! You're so _strong_!"

" _We_ did it. You shouldn't have doubted me in the first place. I've always got your back, you know?" Sakura drawled, monotone as she propped her foot up on a log, adjusting her dirtied sandal. Naruto was at a loss for words.

"But...but I'm supposed to protect you!"

"...hm."

Her expression hardened. Not even when reborn with a second chance was she ever going to be accepted. The Haruno didn't bother wiping the splashed blood off her face from her last victim as she straightened. "We found a hideout. There could be more. Note this area in your memory for when we get back to Sensei."

The girl could feel herself slowly slipping away into her War Persona, uncaring of the things going on around her but she forced herself back up into her fake one, though she couldn't even force a smile.

Naruto took an involuntary step back at the unwelcome, and horrifying look on his crush's face. Never in his life had be been terrified of Sakura. Scared, yes, but this..

She jumped into the trees, newly unwound pink hair bouncing on her shoulders as she looked behind her, down to Naruto.

"Hurry up, Naruto, we need to hurry before sunset."

 _[Restart]_

It took them the rest of daylight to scout the area the two were assigned, and only now were they beginning to leave the forest.

He says that the two were fine, though Kakashi's judgement has a record of being unsound.

He felt his eyes throb ( _so_ _close_ _to_ _unlocking_ _it,)_ thinking about Dobe and Sakura. A day full of stupidly arrogant bandits and 'losing their way', to top it off a strangled _shriek_ pierced through the silence near noon, despite the space between the two search teams. Sasuke _lost his footing_ and _ate dirt_ when he heard that.

He flicked at his face assuredly, expecting no stray earth to fly off again when his betraying mind decided to invade his thoughts with some other thing he's been worrying about. The tension in their squad.

The Uchiha could care less about the team, except for _maybe_ Kakashi, who had earned his respect on the way here during the fight with No-Eyebrows and Feminine, but the suspicion is stalling him from gaining strength to defeat _That Man._

Sasuke felt his hackles rise just thinking about _Him_. How dare they, making up such nonsense when he needs to be training! And the one time he tries to bring his team up to his level, they just have to go and turn traitor. Goddang.

Sakura has been acting suspiciously ever since coming out of the Academy, but only now was Kakashi picking up on it and interrogating her. Seeming too focused on her goals, unnaturally intense when it comes to her training. Like...him.

Uchiha Sasuke's feet ricocheted off a branch once more and onto the ground floor, finally out of the woods and breaking into a sprint, trailing behind Kakashi a fair distance.

Sakura seems too different, and is acting too much like him and it is _unnerving_. And the worst part is, he's made the most progress with her. The Uchiha didn't know she actually _trained_ , as it didn't show (though as a civilian he shouldn't have _expected_ it to), and it still doesn't but she does have a few chakra theories up her sleeve he's working on adapting to be useful in combat. Even Kakashi hasn't helped him this much, resorting to actually leaving them to their own devices to figure it out.

As the avenger criss-crossed through the clearing, staying mostly out of sight, he had to grudgingly admit that his team wasn't _completely_ useless. _Except for the Dobe_. Though he also had to admit that no one trusted each other and it was hindering his progress. _Except for the Dobe, mindless idiot_. The only one actually making advances was Sakura, who was apparently not the useless fangirl he thought she was.

All the more reason to be suspicious of her. And earlier today behind that tree?

 _All trust gone._

Not that he trusted her much. After all, the female species were manipulative and ferocious.

Though, he mused to himself as he saw the town in the distance, training with her wasn't so bad.

Even though that was the reason they're all running around in the woods in the first place.

 _[Restart]_

Green eyes snapped open shamelessly before darting around the dark room.

Sakura pushed herself up on her futon, laid harshly against the wall and felt her cloth tank stick to her hot cold back. Clutching her chest restlessly, she got a firm hold on her chakra to keep from alerting Kakashi or Sasuke.

Sweat slid down her brow, mixing with apprehensive tears and she breathed heavily, burying her face in her hands.

Her legs were sweltering under the thick covers but she couldn't bring herself to care, the nightmares were getting worse.

 _'I don't have my anti-depression pills anymore, shoot.'_

"I don't have my pills.." she muttered dejectedly. Tonight it was watching Sasuke kill Naruto in many different ways, but all were efficient. Behead him, gouge out his eyes, slit his throat, pierce his heart, rupture his lungs, repeated in the same position, same place.

She'd be running through the forest, eyes blurry with tears, and see her blonde friend on his knees, and Sasuke with a crazed smile on his face and diluted eyes, katana dangling dangerously from his fingers before he gripped it and ended her friend's misery a hundred different ways.

Then he'd see her, and he'd run toward her, and she'd feel a distant pain, as if its there but not in her body, then her younger self would stare in horror before it rewinded.

 _Over, and over and over._

She knew it was fake, but it felt so real, yet so _phantom_.

It only hardened her resolve to take out the person who started this nonsense.

 _Orochimaru_.

Staggering to her feet, blankets flopping off her to reveal sweaty pale legs, she instinctively checked Naruto and Sasuke's chakra signature. Naruto was child's play to find and discern, next to her and sleeping deeply, but Sasuke was..

Awake. And looking straight at her.

A flash, and she was staring into swirling black and red marbles with hidden madness and the next she was staring into cold onyx orbs, not at all innocent. His face was hard and muscles tense, something she could still see even under shadows. The only reason she was able to make eye contact was because of his doujutsu color-amplified scleras (it's actually really freaky that the white is so _bright_ ,) and the faint light shining in through the cracks of the curtains.

"Hello." She offered distractedly. Eye contact continued to send shivers up and down her spine. His gaze didn't waver though, before he looked down and fondled a cylindrical white container with a cap and faint letters; pills.

 _'So he had a nightmare also.'_

The only reason Naruto isn't up also is because the Kyuubi takes (and _makes_ ) his nightmares and no one would _ever_ sell him safe pills, let alone the _correct_ ones. Either way, she wouldn't have allowed it.

She watched the muscles in his left arm shift, as if to toss the object, but faltered and he glared at her. "Why are you up?"

Softly, "Nightmare. Sorry if I woke you."

"You use pills?"

"Yes. When I was younger there was a problem with my birth, and things occasionally happen and I need pills." That was not _entirely_ a lie. There _was_ an issue with her birthing and she _did_ need pills for her _slight_ anemia before she resolved the issue with her medical chakra when she was older.

"I have anemia if you wanted to know."

He seemed to think this over before something in his eyes showed understanding, as if it explained a lot. "Hn. You're leaving?"

"Yes, for our nightly training...are...you coming?"

"...I'm not doing that anymore."

"Why not?"

He stared at her as if she were brain dead, having gotten up sometime during their conversation. "I can't trust you."

"Wha-...how would I regain your trust?"

Her crush ignored the question. "If you go out, I'm following you."

The pinkette found her already sad spirit increasing. "Oh.."

"Hn."

"Well then..let me tell you this, Sasuke-kun,—" he stopped when he heard his name, "— I will do everything in my power to convince you I just want to change. Shinobi are too paranoid for their own good."

With that, she finished strapping her sandals and opened the window, cool air flowing through the stuffy room. She shot him a halfhearted smile and a wink before jumping out the window, her 'watcher' following close behind.

Landing swiftly on the ground floor, she wrung out her hair with her hands, excess drowsiness bouncing out of her locks before she proceeded to start her stretches.

As she was in a split pulling on her toes, she wondered.

 _'..Can I get away with my normal stretching?'_

 **'..We'll be able to get lots more done.'**

 _'Is that supposed to convince me?'_

It did, as she finished her first set of stretches and jumped on a low branch, hanging from her hands. She quickly brought her knees up to her chest and brought them down once more, slowly spreading them and bringing them together before she jumped off to do an equally difficult stretch, hopefully involving her arms.

Sasuke watched on quietly. Soon she was done and did a quick backflip for good measure. As she still had her weights on, she decided to train her core today.

Positioning her legs over a tree and her upper body hanging limply she slowly brought herself up just using her core strength before flipping and doing the same thing on the other side of the branch.

She could see it in his eyes; Sasuke was filing the interesting stretches away for further experimentation. Sakura didn't know why she was able to reveal so much in his presence, it just flowed out of her like an unbidden stream.

Soon she was done, and molded herself into another interesting position for more core training. The moon shined on Sakura's twisted body, a long shadow stretching underneath her.

 _'Ah, Naruto is so behind the rest of us. I'm going to have private training sessions with him when we get back to Konoha. Only a little while longer before the mission is over.'_

When sweat was dripping off her face and onto the grass, she stopped for the night.

Approaching Sasuke blindly, using her tank to wipe her forehead, she thought she heard a twig snap. Judging by her teammate's stillness and racing signature, she did.

Letting go of her makeshift handkerchief and jumping into the treetops along with the avenger, Sakura got a clear view of the twig culprits.

Two men, with something long and metal she assumed was an unsheathed sword strapped to their backs, were...

Were looking for a way to get inside Tazuna's house.

 _'Why do the interesting things_ always _happen when someone is around?!'_

Because of her audience, she can't reach out and pummel the two into oblivion. Sparing a glance at her watcher, she sighed inaudibly. Instead of screaming she decided to tap his shoulder delicately, and he looked at her expectantly.

"They're some of Gato's thugs, I think," the time traveling girl whispered. Sasuke's eyes widened and he turned to look at them again, and they were circling the house, fiddling with the locked entrances. The Uchiha frowned.

"We don't have time to contact Kakashi, though I'm sure he already knows. Let's ambush them."

The boy made a move to jump out of their hiding place, and Sakura was about to follow before logic caught up with her and she gripped his upper arm, keeping him in place. "Wait. Don't you think there's a reason sensei isn't doing anything?"

"He's a lazy pushover. I _think_ that's reason enough. "

 **'When did Sasuke start using sarcasm like that? Rookie, but impressive.'**

"W- _while that's true_ , we shouldn't make a move immediately. Let's see what they're up to first."

He seemed to consider this looking from the him to her, before relaxing and slumping back.

It was a while before they finally moved. Well, not really.

Five minutes later the figures were working on breaking a window. Realizing that they were compromising the mission, Sasuke jumped off the small perch and Sakura followed his movements hastily.

Running up behind the duo, they engaged in battle under the cover the moon's shadow provided.

Slipping underneath a sword swing, Sakura crouched and lunged to the side, skidding on the grass. Also effectively hitting Sasuke in the shin, causing him to crumple to the floor and on her calf.

They were not coordinated at all.

The rogues noticed this, apparently, and it was quickly used against them. Crawling out from under her larger teammate, Sakura executed a sloppy kick up, only to fall into a back handspring when a sword threatened to slice her throat.

Flipping over Sasuke as he got to his feet, the Uchiha took the opportunity to run up on the larger, recovering burly man, attacking him mercilessly.

Landing on her feet like a cat Sakura ran up the side of the house, landing behind the lankier man, who was watching the fight with apathy.

Fisting the back of his head, she jerkily sidestepped his reaching arms and stumbling legs, turning the two around and pushed him into the brick wall with a chakra augmented kick. His eyes bugged out with shock and helplessness.

She forced his body down to the floor, making sure his head slid harshly across the wall and impacted the dirt before bringing them back up and slamming his nose into the sturdy divider, effectively knocking him out, or so she thought.

Sakura would regret the decision to relax her guard in the middle of a fight.

Facing away from the still body, the pinkette felt her joints straining, and her lungs tightening with exertion. Sweat dripped from her tediously.

Smoothing out her rosy bangs and taking them away from her face, she looked up to see her teammate taking a quick knee to adjust his sandal, unknowing of the bruised and dirty large man, getting to his feet and rearing his sword like a guillotine.

Heart stopping, actually _stopping_ when she looked at his peaceful, blissfully unaware expression, air filled her to screech out in alarm. She was going to fail her mission.

The breath left her in one swift movement when a foot impacted with the back of her head, roundhouse-kick style.

 _Hard._

Flying to the side and out of Sasuke's line of sight, her voice failed her and Sakura groaned quietly, heart rate through the roof with fear. Someone took a handful of her pink hair, irritating the scalp, before slamming her head into the dirt over and over again.

The small glimpses she was able to get showed that Sasuke finally heard the commotion, staring at her stock still, but was still unknowing to his impending doom, and that the presumed immobilized skinny man was her torturer.

Her eyesight blurred, not just with the rapid movement and the black dots spinning in her vision, but with hot, stinging, blinding, _painful_ tears. Red splashed in her vision and strands of pink hair loosened from her head with his unrelenting grip, falling like leaves in front of her.

 **'That's a _lot_ of hair,'**

Was Inner's last comment.

 _'Sasuke..'_

Was Sakura's.

 _"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, DATTEBAYO!"_

The world went black.

 _[Restart]_

 _Pain._

 _That's what is was. A lot of pain. In her head._

Wispy flecks of vapor caressed her exposed skin as crusted-over eyelids opened, revealing dull green.

Sitting up on her forearms, Sakura surveyed her surroundings. White was all she could see but there were small openings revealing gray. The sounds of metal against metal, dogs barking, screaming, and ice breaking were grating against her ears.

"Is anyone there?" Her voice cracked with disuse evident. Something shifted towards her southwest and there was a small whimper. "T-Tazuna-San?"

"Yes, I-it's me.."

 _He sounds frightened._

Fully sitting up now, the pinkette reached out towards his voice blindly, and with large, shaking hands was pulled up to her feet. "Can you please explain what is going on?"

He was still on his knees before her. "Based on what I've been told...when the two swordsmen came, you and Sasuke-san might have died but Naruto-baka interfered with the attack to Sasuke-san just in time. He was badly injured. Kakashi-san took care of them and they said more were at the bridge.

"They picked me up and brought me to the bridge but two missing-nin-" _Zabuza and Haku_. "-were here instead of any thugs. Your team has been trying to resolve this peacefully but the nin keep throwing punches."

So basically, _Naruto_ was down before Sasuke, and her team is trying to play the pacifist. Against clueless, _dangerous_ nin.

' **Wow.'**

 _'Wow.'_

A loud screech of agony cut through the air, and waves of demonic chakra brought Sakura to her knees. An involuntary shiver raced up her spine, and her hair stood on end.

Naruto's angry.

Staggering back to her feet, heart ramming in her rib cage, Sakura stumbled towards where the sounds of fighting were loudest. Glass broke and there was a skid and a wet flop, as if soggy meat was slapped on a wood counter, before all sounds ceased and the demon chakra wafted out of the air.

What..just happened?

Regaining feeling in her legs, she sprinted toward the still chakra signatures of Naruto and Sasuke, uncaring of the splitting headache her head was surviving.

Skidding to a stop as a kunai embedded the cement where her foot once laid, she looked up frantically.

"Don't take another step."

Said Haku in a high pitched yet threatening tone, an immobilized Naruto and Sasuke with kunai to their throats writhing on the ground at his feet.

 **END OF CHAPTER TEN**

 **Wow. That took way too long to make! I am so sorry about the wait guys I had so many projects and my parents were on my back and we had Christmas and birthday celebrations and stuff for church and I just wasn't motivated and ahhhhh.**

 **Sorry. I'm usually more active..not really, anyway. Here's some cliffhangers because I'm sure I lost a good portion of my viewers. Is a cliffhanger a good thing to do after you lose viewers or no?**

 **On , there was a comment saying that they wanted to see more of the summons I introduced briefly in chapter 4, was it? _Esther-himechan_ , I promise I'll get to that after Wave. **

**There was also another on a different format saying they wanted to see some NaruSasu. I am still not so sure about how that it going to play out, but there'll be a little snippet here and there, though mostly platonic, I'm sorry. (My view of platonic is distorted if that helps.)**

 ** _Aura the Artist_ , thanks for all the love! Yeah, I am pretty young but I was brought up on books since an early age so I consider myself rather advanced. I actually want to become an author when I am experienced enough to create an intelligent plot with details instead of piggybacking on an already made plot, such as _Naruto_ , and have already taken the first step in that direction.**

 **Well, I mean, that's basically it. Leave a like, leave a comment, leave a Christmas present, or New Years present (I've been thinking of copic markers,) or just leave. I'm tired, I couldn't care less. It's just business.**


	11. eleven

**Bwahahahahahaha. No regrets, honestly. Except for the fact that I finally figured out how to correctly use this app and it is so..bright and lively lately and I feel left out. So I guess there are regrets.**

 **It's me again with the next chapter. I'm feeling it now, I just read a recent chapter of a really good time travel story I've been keeping up with, and while it was a bit of a turn-on most of the chapter the rest was amazing, and I feel inspired. And the stories these days are pretty cool. (Maybe it's because I'm never around long enough to adjust.)**

 **So I had this story sitting around, right? Two weeks to three months of stress and anxiety because of the two Bs I have on my report card, group presentations I just can't seem to get a passing grade on, and the large, intimidating stunt in my artistic life later, I come back with a burst of positivity and read over my story. (I mean like, all A's now but one is kinda low.)**

 **Reading it, the only thing that passed through my head was,**

 **I knew I was sad and stressed when I wrote this part but...gosh darn it, it's freaking trash. This story is so _trash._**

 **So I skimmed over it again and yes, the words blended in together well and I tried to find a place to cut off the extra bull crap, but I couldn't and ended up only cutting the last paragraph or two I wrote.**

 **Also. I've been thinking thinking of different ways to end off the story of —Restart—, (not that it'll be soon or anything) and I feel like it would benefit from having something other than a fairy-tale perfect ending. This is an angsty story that WILL have an angsty ending. I...think.**

 **Suggestions on how I should end the story below, please. Valentines Day. Cool.**

 _"Don't take another step."_

 _His voice was icy cold, just like his ability._

 _17-year-old Haruno Sakura stopped in her tracks, slip-reinforced sandals not sliding underneath the shaking ice. Her shoulders were chattering with the force of her fear. She didn't try to hide it, that was her comrade over there._

 _Surrounded on all sides by allies and enemies alike, the battle screeched to a disarming halt when a captive was taken by the Reanimation._

 _The only thing heard was the biting wind flowing over the solidified lake they were fighting on._

 _Dirty pink hair covered her eyes. Her voice was just a murmur, masked by tightly reined desperation. "..let him go!"_

 _Dotō Kazahana looked through the girl with calculating blue eyes, accented by black. His reply was simple. "...no." The large man's grip on the Iwa Ninja tightened inexplicably, and the man wailed in pain pitifully. Black snow was taut around his torso, scraping around the ninja's body._

 _Reaching inconspicuously towards her behind, to allude the enemy into a sense of comfort knowing she was about to take a weapon, Sakura channeled Earth And Water Nature chakra into her feet and spread it outward underneath the iced over lake into the water near her opponent._

 _Using her scarily accurate chakra control she grabbed a firm hold of the submerged chakra and forced it up to the surface, watching the brown-blue substance crawl over Dotō like a snake, tensing around his throat._

 _The first time pure, uninterrupted chakra, just chakra, bubbled lively in her fingertips._

 _"I said..." Sakura started calmly._

 _"Let. Him. Go."_

 _Shock ripples through the clearing at an attack made underneath everyone's noses by the nurtured prodigy medic. Kazahana was unaffected, face stony in the way it was since the beginning of the fight._

 _"You think it's that easy?"_

 _Suddenly the captured Iwa-nin was flung across the lake, skidding on the ice before it cracked loudly and he was thrown under during his pursuit. Water splashed up around his body, landing on the ice. Chakra signatures fluctuated with fear and surprise._

 _Dotō went down onto all fours, slapping at the ice with his hands and knees. It began to bleed black. The Haruno took an assessing step back, feeling her heart rate speed up._

 _The once white now onyx ice began to move at will, forming long, sharp spears around the dead-alive man._

 _There were so many of them...!_

 _The apparent Ice-Style user grinned hysterically, one of the few who enjoyed being Reanimated._

 _The sick, horrid few._

 _He spoke._

 _"I'll have fun watching you all die."_

 _And he moved._

 _Sakura sprinted forward when the ice began to crystallize, making more. She for once stumbled over the slick substance while moving, not able to get her chakra correctly in her fear._

 _All these people were about to die._

 _"All of you, scatter! Scatter NOW!"_

 _The soldiers began to run off the lake and out of the clearing, teamwork scarce among them. Seeing the spears look down at them condescendingly, pointing through their heads, their lives flashed before their eyes and they pushed each other to the ground, sealing their fates to get out of the way._

 _The pinkette was the only one who tried to subdue the man, and she felt a beat of horror at the fact that fear could make such a strong force paralyzed. Sakura should have known._

 _Kazahana looked down at her shrewdly before forming a black, sharpened pole in his hands and swiping at her left upper calf._

 _Pain shot through the medic's leg, warning her that her body was hurt, before it was numbed over and the area was cold. Looking down, black ice was rapidly crawling over the stab wound and the skin around it, getting so far to her kneecap already._

 _She panicked and screamed as the nerves in her leg were cut by the ice entering her nervous system, effectively paralyzing her. Maybe for good. Sakura tripped face-first and slid over the ice slowly. She could feel herself hyperventilating, going into shock._

 _The ice covered both her legs at this point, tantalizingly slow in its pursuit. She could feel each nerve and vein snap and frost over, and it was distant yet hot._

 _"I'll be nice; and just cripple you. But.."_

 _Dying green eyes traveled slowly upward to see a large shadow, with glowing cerulean eyes._

 _"..You will watch your comrades die."_

 _Oh don't worry, I'm already dead inside, figuratively and literally,_

 _She screeched at him in her mind as she was hoisted up onto her side, a perfect view of the retreating backs of so many soldiers._

 _Faster, get out of here!_

 _There were so many black spears; so so many._

 _They pierced through bodies like a hot knife through butter. It looked so easy._

 _Sakura saw the exact moment the pain registered, and their eyes were frozen, dead with shock. They were ice statues before they hit the ground._

 _Hot, salty tears slid down the pinkette's cold, unmoving face._

 _She was alive, so they were alive. They still felt the pain._

 _Oh god..._

 _A flash, and the only leftovers of the slaughter, because that's what it was, were chunks of shattered ice over the frozen lake. Chunks of crystallized people. They were still alive._

 _What's he gonna do to me?_

 _The medic had feeling in her cheeks again; then her torso, and her arms. Her skull and her legs._

 _She was no longer frozen._

 _"Get out of here, sweetie; go tell the story of the Ice Spear Slaughter. Ha, that has a nice ring to it~" He cackled with madness, before disappearing in a funnel of snow._

 _Sakura crawled._

 _She crawled as fast as he could, using her upper body only just to get away from the scene, to get away from the death. She couldn't see, her vision was blurry with water._

 _She blinked away the tears and saw a glimpse of her legs in the reflection from the lake. They were not mangled, they were not burned or pierced. They were pure; it was all internal damage._

 _They burned so bad. They were so cold. She couldn't feel a thing._

 _Jerking her head way from the scene she used her arms to pull herself away from the lake with a big push, and came face to face with a fallen warrior._

 _Her eyes, big with shock and pain and remembrance, were frozen into the kunoichi's memory forever. The rest of her body was hidden across the various frozen limbs that were strewn across the snow and lake, but her head was severed cleanly from her body._

 _Those eyes..._

 _Sakura's eyes widened, and she felt an uncontrollable fear ripple through her body. A scream ripped from her throat as she began to scratch at the still live face, wailing hysterically._

 _They're all dead. Everyone is dead. But they're not dead._

 _Her legs convulsed with desperation, if only to feel something, anything._

 _It was all so cold._

 _She clutched the head to her chest, crying._

 _She was supposed to be strong._

 **—Restart—**

 _"cryophobia"_

 _"Cryophobia: An abnormal and persistent fear of cold, including cold weather and cold objects. Sufferers from cryophobia experience anxiety even though they realize their fear is irrational."_

 _[Restart]_

"Don't take another step."

Sakura's eyes left Haku and instead focused on her two teammates on the ground before him, clutching weak hands to her chest in worry.

Sasuke was not as bruised as Naruto, who was purple in every seen part of skin, but he was riddled with cuts and punctured from senbon.

Her head pounded with forgotten memories, bile rising in her throat.

 _Ice. So much of it._

 _They're hurt because of it._

"Why is it everywhere?"

Her voice sounded loud to her ears, though Haku strained to hear her words. "Why is what everywhere? Speak up."

Her hands slid around her opposite biceps, criss-crossing in an attempt to preserve the rapidly depleting warmth. Her outfit wasn't the best for the weather.

"It's everywhere. Why won't it leave? Too cold.."

The world felt like it was spinning fast, all around her a white and gray blur as she looked around slowly trying to gain focus.

"Stop it.."

She didn't move a muscle, obeying Haku's wishes not only by force, but by choice. How was she supposed to get over there?

 _It's so cold!_

"You are their teammate, correct?"

The pinkette didn't answer, instead opting to stare through his foggy silhouette with glassy orbs, breathing heavily through mouth.

Her breathing quickened, higher and faster, till she was on the floor gasping for air that just won't come.

In Sakura's peripheral vision she saw Haku tense up horribly at the self-deprecating sight of her, about to strike or curious of her actions, maybe.

It was like her lungs were squished against the space of her ribcage, which was closing in quickly. She could not breathe. Whenever she tried the air would get stuck somewhere and not reach her lungs, puffing out from her mouth in white wisps. She felt herself getting lightheaded.

Coughing hysterically, she attempted to get rid of that..that _thing_ not allowing her to breathe. She hacked, but the only thing coming up was air, spit and blood.

She rubbed at her legs, feeling the cold air slap against them, mistaking it for ice.

 _'I wanna breathe..'_

 **'You need to calm down.'**

 _'I am calm!'_

 **'Stop it, you're still alive, remember? That hasn't happened, not anymore.'**

Taking Inner's words at face value, Sakura stopped trying to gulp in air; instead holding her breath and thinking of happy things, no ice, no cold, no, it's not real.

 _'I don't have a problem with the cold. I'm fine, it's all fine, all just illusions.'_

Her surroundings finally blurred back into focus, sounds of far away fighting reaching her ears once more as she repeated the same mantra in her head over and over,

 _'I'm not afraid. I'm a shinobi with a mission and I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid. I'm a shinobi, with a mission, and I'm not afraid.'_

Not afraid.

She can't be afraid.

She looked down, opening her green orbs blankly as she thought of ways to get Naruto and Sasuke back from the clutches of the enemy.

Squashing down the voice in the back of her head that was definitely not Inner's saying it was her fault they were like this in the first place, she mused the only good thing she got out of her small breakdown was a distraction.

 **'Ah, we'll take what we can get.'**

 _'Haku said we couldn't move, but we just did and he didn't do anything. Good to know his kind nature has not changed too thoroughly since my arrival here. Can we use that?'_

 **'We've used it before.'**

Looking up sneakily and peering through pink, she saw that Naruto and Sasuke were not tied up, instead kicked to the side against an ice mirror, unconscious.

Sakura doubted Kakashi could see and hear them, let alone know what's going on right now.

Her hands fisted at her sides, knuckles flirting with the ground. "... _May_ I get my team back?"

His masked face cocked to the side sharply, the shadowed slits piercing through her.

"No. Why don't you fight me for it?"

He didn't get the double meaning. No one did.

Twisting on her knees, the medic bolted to her sandaled feet, pulling out a kunai to take attention away from the clear chakra scalpel that was forming in her other hand.

Haku started, jerking violently before relaxing and senbon were dangling in his fingertips.

Just as the pinkette started to really close the distance his arm blurred and before she could react two needles punctured the skin on her arm.

Her young body was unaccustomed to pain and she cried out involuntarily, but her mind was well acquainted with the feeling so it didn't slow her down any, she only sped up.

Skating on the concrete, she channeled chakra to her feet and crouched, sliding through Haku's outstretched legs and closer towards the prone form of her teammates.

But Haku was faster.

His hand shot in front of her face causing her to stop to avoid collision and his foot slid away and kicked her out from under him, and she squeaked across the ice-sheeted stone. Her skin stretched uncomfortably.

Stopping on her back, she kicked up onto her feet, using the traction on her shoes to freely run on the slippery surface back towards Haku.

Her muscles strained and heated, already worn.

Her goal wasn't to defeat the boy; Naruto would not be happy. Her goal was to save her teammates, heal them, and fight him together so Naruto can figure out what he wants to do with him.

And if Haku must get hurt, _well then._

Instead of going over him, she decided to engage in hand to hand combat, and as a long-ranged fighter he should be weaker in this area.

Not that she was around to find out the first time.

A feeling of unease creeped up her throat as she kicked Haku's hand away violently, desperately. She has put her nose in every little thing since coming here, she should let things happen on their own.

 **'But then again, if you're not there to give that little push things might not stay the same as they were.'**

 _'That's what I'm afraid of.'_

The pinkette felt her stamina lowering quickly, and gritted her teeth as she was clocked in the face ruthlessly.

Staggering to the ground, she didn't see the needles until they were so deep inside her she didn't need to. Teasing her vital organs with its distant touch, she screamed with apprehension. It was lost in the wind.

"You should have known you couldn't beat me. You are too weak. I am very sorry about this." He whispered loud enough for her to hear.

Trying not to let the nearly blinding pain cloud her vision any more than it already has, she writhed on the ground, feeling him come closer.

This fight was too _short_.

Pink hair was splayed across the snow, wet and in large clumps, allowing her scalp to feel the fretting cold of the white substance.

She needed more stamina.

She wanted to scream. It hurt, it hurt so much and it was so, so cold, and ice was inside her and her nerves were snapping and she couldn't feel her fingers yet they were _pulsating_.

She needed more force.

She could hear her heartbeat through her veins, pumping in her head when Naruto and Sasuke clouded her thoughts ruthlessly. God, Sasuke.

Just a little closer..

He was stiff, unsure and slow in his steps towards her probe firm but when he finally did reach a guilty hand down to her frozen cheek, an arm coated in healing chakra snapped up to his chest quickly, allowing a chakra scalpel to sink through the skin.

She needed more..

He hacked, stumbling back and onto his behind as blood leaked from his stomach when a searing pain shot through the pinkette's limb, the needles inside of her shifting.

 _Deceit_.

The arm flopped back down onto the floor, nerves shot and useless.

' **At least you know the ice needles are no longer inside of you. I'm rather sure your chakra forced them all out.'**

 _'It_ hurts. _'_

Getting to her knees, she ran as fast as she could towards her boys, stumbling and stopping on the way.

Her eyes were wide and frightened, hurting.

Haku sprinted after her, injury forgotten. Grabbing her ankle she crashed to the floor and he pulled her away from her team agonizingly slowly.

Looking at Naruto's dirtied, bleeding, peaceful, content face she stopped clawing at the ground, if only to savor it for a second longer.

 _There was a frown on his face when he died._

That was when her head smashed against the bridge, effectively ridding the rage that blossomed in her chest. A weight against the small of her back and the fight drained out of the fragile form.

"You will not win." His voice was distant against the pounding of Sakura's head.

She felt a cold-hot sensation creep up her limbs that made her shiver in interesting places as if her calf brushed up against a sprout of sharp, high grass.

But it was one she recognized. The interesting scalding hot burn that felt like liquid nitrogen on her skin. As if her body was filling up with cold gas, that tickled her walls and numbed all feeling as it spread through her system.

She only felt it once but it was one of those scarce feelings that one would never forget.

The feeling of being frozen alive.

Her vision shifted onto its side as the side of her face was smashed against the concrete and tears spilled over that she couldn't feel. They dropped down her nose and burned dead eyes as her arms and lips moved on autopilot, half heartedly pulling hers out from under Haku and screeching protests that fell onto deaf ears.

The prospect that ice was creeping up her legs was only mildly worrying, the voices in her head screaming, wailing at her to move, to get out of there ignored, because she couldn't move and she was tired and Naruto was dying and Haku looked through her with that horrifying mask of his.

Her jade eyes looked up curiously at him as they steadily lost life, the veins behind her eyes she could feel and almost see for once in her life, being frosted over.

"Why do you try?"

"..what's that supposed...to mean.."

It sounded like a rather stupid question to ask a dying girl.

Weak fists clenched. She was dying.

"You know you are about to die. Your precious people are right there, you could almost.. _touch_ them. Why would you approach me even if you knew you were hopeless?"

His stomach wound did not deter him in any way, almost as if it wasn't there, and the young medic felt her hackles rise.

Then the blood rushed to her head in an attempt to escape the ice that covered her cheeks as they were lightly coated in frost, and she felt heavy. Almost drunk, even. Her stiff lips pulled into a half grin.

"It's cause..it's cause I am merely a step-stool, only here for the purpose of getting.. _them_..higher. Then...I leave."

He stared at her for a long moment, through rows of rosy pink and through waterfalls of sadness and Sakura saw chestnut brown eyes through the space the porcelain covering provided. They glittered with guilt and longing. Longing to provide.

His hand reached up to his mask, slipping it off his face and it cracked as it impacted the floor beneath him. Crouching he pushed the stringy hair out of the pinkette's face lovingly, which she could not move at all, muscles still.

"You are not me. You are not meant for my fate."

Leaning down, his lips brushed her wide, wide forehead, the object that blinded her from reality and problems of the real world with the light reflecting off it, light and barely there.

She didn't feel it nor comprehend it, of course.

"Break out for me, please."

The ice scraped across her forehead, then her dirty rose locks.

The world stopped, holding their breath at the sight of her.

She was as still as a statue, unmoving and unfeeling, dully watching with once green now electric blue eyes Naruto and Sasuke breath in, breath out.

She felt strange. Like the oh so unpleasant feeling that rumbles through your body after something really cold hits a sensitive tooth. The unpleasant feeling when you wake up with second chances attached to your skin, flowing through your veins, yet you still see the scars left. The unpleasant feeling when you see your lively hometown reincarnated but the image of dead frozen eyes and burning innocents on stakes and fantasy stories only heard of in children's books come to life in that horrifying way right before your eyes.

Her soul did not drift, and it was because she was not dead. She was frozen in time, organs still working yet unmoving.

Frozen in time forever, plastered against the floor of the cold and wet bridge, the sound of war muted with her head up and eyes twinkling with nothing.

 _Oh, how useless she felt. They were right there._

Was this where her story ended?

Her blind, all-seeing orbs traced Sasuke's jawline silently.

There was a bruise.

...no, that doesn't sound right.

She still has a job, and she was never one to leave work half-done. Ever.

Her melancholy job staring her right in the face, she thought.

There, just a few feet in front of her were the ones she swore to protect and nourish till they were ready to fly out on their own, the ones that had the ability to tip the world's balance whichever way they wanted depending on her progress.

The ones that would leave her to _rot_ and watch her fight tooth and nail to catch up, holding out halfhearted hands before leaving to join the fight, and go on adventures she couldn't even _begin_ to imagine.

The ones she couldn't help but love.

It was all in her hands.

So many had slaved and died to give her this opportunity and she is going to waste it, just like _that_.

Just like she wasted every opportunity before her.

Out of nowhere her navel pulsed with chakra, hard and sharp, and the energy fluctuated through her system.

The pinkette stopped her train of thought and hurriedly clamped down on her Yin Seal chakra storage with all her strength but it still writhed uncomfortably. It rebelled instantaneously and Sakura couldn't keep her control in her sorry, sorry state.

The unstable chakra ripped through her body like it never had before, greedily looking for somewhere to rest. It was scalding hot and made her sweat.

Sweat?

She felt it flow up to her forehead and panicked, running after it and trying to bring it back down. It was fast and nimble and out of her control, weaving around her desperate pulls like repelling magnets.

The unfamiliar feeling of it smashing against the inside of her forehead when it would usually be softly absorbed, the unfamiliar sound of chakra being stored away slowly, the annoying sound of a drippy tap was not present and it was more like the water was on full blast and overflowing.

The prospect was enough to make her glitching heart skip a beat, and soon after she felt her skin being marked in various areas with pure chakra.

It all gathered at her left inner thigh.

She felt power, the power of a thousand men, briefly burst at her left inner thigh.

Her Yin Seal May have just appeared on her left. Inner. Thigh.

The sound of cracking was loud and obnoxious compared to the stony quiet within her container, and could air stepped into her. Flecks of ice dropped to the ground only to shatter into tinier pieces and soon the pinkette was sitting in a pile of it.

She was cold, wet, and desperate, but knew better than to pull up her spandex and check her thigh.

Or maybe she was just too afraid of what might happen if she did so.

Getting to tired and bruised feet, she stumbled towards Naruto and Sasuke, and watched their peaceful breathing, not a care in the world, with jealousy and greed.

Dropping harshly to her knees, Sakura felt the skin split and presumed it spurt red but decided to focus on the curves of her Uchiha teammate's face rather than the fact she couldn't detect a simple genjutsu, a _genjutsu_ , and gave up on her mission when faced with the first challenge.

 _A genjutsu._

A wind blew, carrying the scent of blood and guts with it, while Sakura pointedly ignored the chirping of her teacher's signature suicide toy and the wet, gory noises signaling the end.

 _And they tried to play the pacifist._

In all honesty the pinkette was too tired and so, so disappointed in herself to care that the timeline was changing and she was not doing anything about it.

She instead opted to allow a flickering green appear on her fingertips, selfishly indulging herself in the depressions and accelerations of her love's features, memorizing the exact shade of his pale skin and the length of his eyelashes, the pink of his lips; not stooping so low to steal a kiss from a defenseless boy.

Chakra drained meticulously out of her body as her effort went to healing Naruto, who was much more worse off than Sasuke and a few crawls away. Relaxing in the soothing, hissing sound of the Kyuubi patching up his container she didn't see the sword until it was too late.

The fog separated at its descent and the wind whistled sharply with uncertainty.

A distant scream of her name, a battle cry of finality and her body freezing up like it never had before, it seemed as if time had sped up because she didn't know what had just happened.

A beat, and she was standing up, a deep and large gash that started at her jaw and ended at her shoulder blade opened up and spilled life fluid all over her body.

A beat and her hands were covered in sticky red residue, while she numbly clenched and unclenched them. Remnants of chakra wafted around her fingers but she couldn't pinpoint the exact move.

A beat and she was looking up, dashing towards Kakashi who was burrowing a path to Zabuza's heart as he glared at her, eyes wide and insane, laughing heartily as his last breath.

 _A beat, and a pale hand, as pale as Haku's, wrapped around her wrist._

In all the confusion and drama Sakura didn't stop to confirm who she was hitting. She just expertly turned and pooled chakra in her palm, lashing out at the figure.

Blood flew across her cheeks that was not hers, and Sasuke fell to the floor.

 **Aaaand that's a wrap. Happy Valentine's Day, by the way, and this was not planned. Let me just apologize for the wait, because it was like what, a month? Two? FOUR? That's just unacceptable.**

 **Schools been kicking my butt lately but good news! Due to the fact I actually studied I am carrying A's in all classes! Woohoo! Last quarter, here I come!**

 **I know it's rude to leave you guys on two cliffhangers in a row but I need to keep my viewers. I've got a billion ideas for this story, and if you'd like to see something in particular just contact me! In fact, if you have anything you need from me just hit me up!**

 **Relationship Status: I'm married to my grades, but I've had a few affairs with procrastination. Speaking of which I still have uncompleted homework to get to.**

 **Have a nice morning, afternoon, evening, and night! Pulp is outta here!**

 **...Yo, I know I suck and this chapter sucks but just bear with meh.**

 **Oh yeah, _Luumus_ , thanks for that review! I'll work on fixing some of my work.**

 **I'm going to put up a poll for some side ships that people may be interested in. I'll just list a few ships and tell me what you vote for wherever. If you have something new, i'll add it do the list.**

 **SasuHina: 1 [lol that's just me; platonic bois]**

 **NaruHina:**

 **ShikaIno:**

 **NejiTen:**

 **KibaIno:**

 **NaruTen:**

 **KibaHina:**

 **NejiHina:**

 **VOTE PLEASE!**


	12. twelve

_[Restart]_

 **Hello again.**

 **Eeeeeehhhhhhh, last chapter was...decent, I guess. I don't like the way I ended it because it was forced and stuuuupid, because it seems like a hurried excuse to get out the Land of Waves because thIS IS A TAKING A WHILE, and I swear if I don't end the Arc in this chapter..**

 **Stuff will start to go down when the characters get to Konoha, I'll tell you that. I've got some ideas for Sakura and hopefully I'll be able to incorporate most of them into the story because most of them bloom for the end of this story or the middle where all the action will be.**

 **Would you look at that, I just got an idea for the Chūnin Exams Arc. By the way, have an questions, suggestions, or concerns, just contact me via comment or PM.**

 **Concerning the poll...**

 **SasuHina: 1**

 **NaruHina: 1**

 **ShikaIno: 1**

 **NejiTen:**

 **KibaIno: was**

 **NaruTen:**

 **KibaHina:**

 **NejiHina:**

 **ShikaTema: 1**

 **VOTE PLEASE!**

 **I won't hold you up any longer, just get to reading.**

 **(Uh? No war flashback this chapter.)**

 **((I'm surprised I haven't gotten any flamers yet))**

 _[Restart]_

 _Chakra drained meticulously out of her body as effort went to healing Naruto, who was much more worse off than Sasuke. Relaxing in the soothing, hissing sound of the Kyuubi patching up his container along with the smoke coming from her own efforts like a salve, she didn't see the sword until it was too late._

 _The fog separated at its descent and the wind whistled sharply with uncertainty._

 _A distant scream of her name, a battle cry of finality and her body freezing like it never had before, it seemed as if time had sped up because she didn't know what had just happened._

 _A beat, and she was standing up, a deep and large gash that started at her jaw and ended at her shoulder blade opened up and spilled life fluid all over her body._

 _A beat and her hands were covered in sticky red residue, while she numbly clenched and unclenched them. Remnants of chakra wafted around her fingers but she couldn't pinpoint the exact move._

 _A beat and she was looking up, dashing towards Kakashi who was burrowing a path to Zabuza's heart as he glared at her, eyes wide and insane, laughing heartily as his last breath._

 _A beat, and a pale hand, as pale as Haku's, wrapped around her wrist._

 _In all the confusion and drama Sakura didn't stop to confirm who she was hitting. She just expertly turned and pooled chakra in her palm, lashing out at the figure._

 _Blood flew across her cheeks that was not hers, and Sasuke fell to the floor._

 **—Restart—**

 _"reality"_

 _[Restart]_

He didn't know what he was doing.

He just...moved.

Laying boneless halfway across the bridge, eyes clumpy with sleep and body heavy with dulled pain, the only thing that alerted him to wakefulness was the feminine screech that echoed through the mist.

Jolting from surprise and stirring Naruto (though he was a million steps behind as always) he jumped to his knees, locking eyes with pink hair and seeing blood spill across the floor. Suddenly it was a stumbling silhouette with two larger, faster, stronger shadows leaping towards them.

He didn't know what he did.

 _His body moved on its own._

Suddenly he came from breathing heavily on all fours on the concrete _alone_ to breathing heavily on his knees at the feet of two enemies and his teammate, clutching his stomach in agony while red spilled from his lips.

Sparing a fervent glance behind him, Sakura collapsed to the ground in a crater that _definitely_ wasn't there before, tiredness weeping in her bones and constricting her body. Her skin was wet and shiny, but ravaged. The flesh around the left side of her jaw cut a clean, straight line down to her left shoulder blade, spurting blood down her dress and staining it a deeper red amidst the freezing water that sopped through the red cloth.

But a certain splash of it, still slippery and dark red-was that his own blood?-traced her jaw and dripped down her chin, blending with the cut. A chakra charred arm, quivering, clawed at his burned collar.

It took all of Sasuke's effort not to grimace and shift at the sad, sad sight of her.

"Sasuke-kun," the honorific again, oh joy, " _please_ , leave this place!"

He didn't have time to ask her why, because his life was saved by reflex and pure intuition, _sixth sense_ , as a slab of sharpened metal settled itself into the brick of the bridge where he was sitting moments ago.

 _...Shi-_

Rolling out of the way of another attack he jumped to his feet once more, before buckling back down in pain, leg throbbing.

Looking down there was a gash, large and leaking a lot, a _lot_ of his blood cells. At least, that's how it looked. He yelped in spite of himself, alarmed because that was _also_ not there a second ago. It must have been his frenzied roll. Suddenly the hairs on his neck rose and he rolled out of the way of yet another swing, jumping to his feet again and forcing himself to ignore the pain.

"Sakura! Can you move?"

"I-yeah!"

She staggered to her feet, slipping on the edges of the ditch till he pulled her out of it, not letting go of her as he ran.

 _Just ran._

 _[Restart]_

Sakura was afraid, her entire body throbbed and she was forced to run at full speed through the thick mist. A hand gripped her mercilessly by the wrist, squeezing and creaking her bones in reprimand whenever she tripped or stumbled, eager to just _stop_.

She wanted to cry.

"Sakura!"

Suddenly she jerked to a halt, and was tackled as a sword, _no_ , an enlarged butcher's knife came swinging where her ankles once were, embedding itself into a railing. She wriggled weakly underneath Sasuke, whining. Now her back hurt, also, scraped against the rough surface of the bridge.

He jumped up again, and pulled her along and out of danger once more.

Sakura's voice was uneven as she bobbed across the bridge and scratchy from crying. "Where-where are we going? I wanna go _home_ -"

 _"Shut up! Where's Kakashi?!"_

Her teeth clicked as she let her chapped lips seal meekly. His tone..it reminded her so much of a Sasuke she used to know. A Sasuke she never wants to see again.

 _He must think I'm so weak._

"I-I don't know! I _saw_ him kill Zabuza! He should be dead!"

She heard the Uchiha click his tongue in irritation. At her or the situation she didn't know, most likely both.

"Jump!"

She felt her posture shift as Sasuke make to leap, but hurriedly stopped him with a tug. "I-I can't jump! I can't- _I cant feel my legs_ -"

Suddenly her feet were sweeped from under her roughly and Sasuke held her close to his chest as he leaped, albeit shakily and his curse of pain was not missed.

She couldn't describe the nanosecond emotion that ran through her. The pain was suddenly muted and her heart was in her throat from surprise, she was light as a feather and felt undeniably feminine. And when he jumped..

Her breath was swept away with the wind.

But it only lasted a second, a second of tenderness from Sasuke and suddenly she was cold and shivering, unable to see ahead of her in the thick, foreshadowing mist and pain lashed through her again. And the worst part was that she wasn't in control of her own body.

She felt so vulnerable.

"Brace yourself!"

His voice rumbled in his chest and against her cheek, and it was extremely unnerving as he set her down, more like threw her down, on a very unstable pillar of metal.

Distractedly she noted he climbed to the top of some building equipment where there were several metal bars suspended by rope and wire, high enough that the cloud of mist cleared slightly as if they left the atmosphere, and she could only see his head and some of his collared neck poking out of the wispy white.

And he looked afraid.

She felt it in her gut; a large sense of unease because Sasuke was afraid and he was never afraid.

He wasn't allowed to be afraid.

He turned to her, eyes dark and features ominous. "Stay here, I'm going to get Naruto."

She started at that, shifting her feet slightly on the rope sustained metal pillar, feeling it shift and not moving again. "W-what? I can fight, too."

"No, you can't."

"Sasuke-"

"You can't, Sakura, you're hurt!"

 _"Can you stop underestimating me-"_

 _"Sakura!"_

She silenced, bringing her head down.

 _She couldn't stand up to him, not like this._

"You've done enough; stop fighting everyone's battles."

The pinkette peeled her bangs out of her eyes and away from her jaw carefully and looked at him, apprehensive.

His eyes were blazing, no longer afraid but angry. Angry at at her.

He made to jump once more, and Sakura's mission suddenly appeared in her mind. Her arm whipped out at high speeds, constricting Sasuke and causing him to snap at her, "What is it _now_?!"

"..if you're going to leave me here, at least allow me to heal you."

He stopped fidgeting, staring at her for a long moment before exhaling sharply through his nose, eyes closing in resignation. "Stubborn."

She sat him down on the edge of the metal bar, rubbing her hands together to get some warmth into them, heeding the warning in her teammate's eyes to hurry.

She didn't dare touch him; hovering her hands over the wound on his leg and watching as the skin etched itself back together like magnets in a grotesque picture, Sasuke trying his best not to gag at the disgusting feeling.

She soothed the throbbing of his stomach with her medical mechanisms.

 _"-stop fighting everyone's battles."_

 _'Watch me, Sasuke Uchiha, just watch me.'_

 **'Heck yeah!'**

 _[Restart]_

Sasuke didn't say a word, biting his bottom lip till it disappeared beneath his upper and allowing Sakura to ramble her worries out, reminding him of the days she used to talk his ear off about nothing yet everything.

 _Used to._

That was only a month or two ago, wasn't it? Felt like forever ago...she really doesn't do things like that anymore, does she?

"Be careful when you find Naruto; choose your battles carefully and please find Sensei before you get caught up in anything. Your calf is still tender, try not to pull the muscles-"

He tuned her out as he's been doing for years.

And not for the first time, he felt a small amount of guilt that he didn't listen.

 _[Restart]_

"-and, Sasuke, stay _safe_."

"Hn."

He stood with much more grace and ease than he did minutes ago, and disappeared from sight, jumping into the mist.

As soon as he left, as soon as his chakra was hidden in the fog Sakura pulled up her shorts carefully to expose her blood-covered thighs, making sure not to bother her wound.

On her left inner there was a sheer green _smudge_ , small and she didn't notice it at first. It was not pulsating chakra at all, anymore. In fact, it seemed like it was just a stain but Sakura knew better.

 **'Oh, yes, we'll be safe now.'**

 _'How can you be so sure?'_

 **'It's chakra-less and looks like a bruise. Plus, who would ever ask to look at your upper thigh? Perverted much~'**

Sakura couldn't help but crack a smile at that.

For now, she's done her part. It's time to let her team do theirs, too. She'll go, just won't interfere; she'll just be.. _there_.

Today she will let herself be useless so they know what being useful really feels like.

The pinkette started to heal her injuries; a small chakra transfer would put her back in the game, anyway.

 _[Restart]_

Sasuke reappeared behind a cluster of building beams, perfectly hidden and close to Naruto's wide awake yet still frozen body.

He held in a frustrated scream. Why hasn't he _moved_?!

Letting his head peek above the materials he urged the boy over with sharp whispers and easy to read body movements.

"Naruto! _Naruto_!"

Finally, the idiot looked in his direction. It took a moment for him to realize what Sasuke wanted but soon he was stealthily crawling near.

When he was finally behind the coverage he made to shout angrily but Sasuke quickly clamped his hand over the boy's mouth and tugged his ear in warning.

 _"Listen to me, and listen clear."_

The container's azure eyes widened but he stayed silent.

The Uchiha hurriedly explained the tight situation to his teammate, Kakashi missing even though he used to be in plain sight, Sakura's disadvantage and the unknown conditions of the enemy included.

"It's all up to us now, and we can't afford to be fighting."

They talked for a bit; throwing ideas back and forth, civil.

The Uzumaki's eyes had sharpened as Sasuke explained yet another problem till they were fox-like slits. "Shouldn't we just go and beat up the enemy?"

"We don't know where they are nor their numbers, _genius_." The last part slipped out by habit before Sasuke could catch it but the apology was in his eyes.

Naruto wasn't too bothered. "I'll send out a few clones to find them and report back. What do we do then?"

Sasuke was tempted to say ' _fight them head on and hope we win'_ , but knew it wasn't the smartest move. Luck was rare in the shinobi world and he can't start counting on it now, not when he still has a goal to fulfill.

"...try to find sensei while you look for the enemy. If he's in combat we'll join him, if not we'll try and get orders from him."

"Why don't we just fight the enemy when we find them?"

"They're stronger than us; it's...better to leave the stronger opponents to the stronger ally." It was a blow to his pride to admit fear, but this experience was making him realize pride can kill.

"...sure, dattebayo. But what about Sakura-chan? What if she gets caught in a fight?"

"I made sure she was far from the battle."

"It's never stopped her before! And, what if we need her ability?!" Naruto hushed his voice with a glare from Sasuke.

He hadn't really considered that they might have needed her; but in hindsight she did help him win against the enemy the last time they met, finding a way around the ice mirrors. And a support character would prove useful if they did get caught in combat.

And even if she was hurt, she could just heal herself and take more chakra from Naruto or Kakashi-sensei like he'd seen her do at the clinic.

The avenger thinned his lips worriedly as he realized he was beginning to make rash decisions and regretting them.

" _Okay_ , you're right."

Naruto started at that. Sasuke Uchiha, _agreeing_ with his deduction?

"Send clones to pick up Sakura and look for Kakashi-sensei and the enemy, make sure they don't try to engage in contact, just come straight back. She's on top of the building equipment to the north. Ugh, over _there_! We have no choice but to go into this together."

In a separate universe, Sakura would have just guarded the bridge builder feebly while Sasuke tried to do everything himself and Naruto had to save him, barely succeeding.

But this time, Sasuke picks his battles carefully and humbly deciding to work as a unit instead of an individual, Naruto and Sakura allowed and able to play key roles.

 _[Restart]_

The Haruno was surprised when a Shadow Clone grabbed her newly healed arm and started pulling her sneakily through the mist towards Sasuke and Naruto, explaining the plan and what has been happening as they went.

Sakura lost her footing when she heard Sasuke agreed to let Kakashi make the final decision; usually he would have just plowed ahead and into the crossfire. Was _she_ able to make such a change?

They skidded silently to a stop behind a wall of wood, steel and cement. The clone burst quietly as Sasuke and Naruto looked at her, approving.

"Good, you did heal yourself," said Sasuke as he slightly shifted his sitting position with restrained impatience. "Take a transfer from Naruto. I assume you were filled in?"

Sakura read the atmosphere and saw it was strictly business so she cut off her emotion and rolled up Naruto's sleeve. "Yes, it's a nice plan you've created together, but what if we don't find the enemy? And Kakashi?"

"Then we improvise," Naruto answered, slightly strained as a fraction of his energy left him. "There is only so far one can plan ahead, you know, dattebayo."

Sakura, well acquainted to Naruto's rare moments of wisdom in high pressure situations, only nodded.

Suddenly, he jerked and Sakura was forced to cut off the connection. "Found someone."

Sasuke tilted his head suspiciously. "There's no clone here."

"I don't know how, but I just... _know_. I saw two..s-silhouett-tes..near the entrance to Wave. One was definitely Kakashi-sensei." Naruto informed, struggling slightly with the bigger word.

Sasuke jumped to his feet, his teammates following soon after. "No time to ponder, let's go. Is everyone battle ready?" Firm nods answered his question.

As the three took off into a sprint, a confidence filled Sakura because for the first time in her life, she knew her team really, _truly_ had her back.

It was intoxicating and spread through her body like wildfire as they rushed to aid their teacher.

 _[Restart]_

He was getting slow.

The fight against Zabuza took a lot out of him and he was beginning to shut down, it was evident in the way he was narrowly missing the poison tipped senbon.

"You're beginning to fail," the mask-muffled teen declared mockingly. The battle wound down to a pause when Kakashi seemed to stumble, causing him a needle in the side.

" _But_ this is after I killed your partner. Seems like it's worth it."

The boy seemed to restrain himself from attacking, taking a moment before becoming placid once more. "Don't worry, I _will_ get you back for that. You seem like you're slowing; all the easier."

"And if I am?"

 _"You will lose."_

Haku lunged towards Kakashi, faster than he was ready to pick up on and the jounin sensei reflexively took quickened steps backwards instead of leaping away.

Suddenly, he tripped against fallen rock, and five needles sunk into his leg. He fell with the momentum and paralysis of his limb.

He couldn't die now, not when he had a team to protect, but...

The masked boy started closing in for the kill, unharmed by Kakashi so far. The senbon dangled tantalizingly but never reached the intended target, intercepted by a kunai knife.

"Katon: _Gokakyu no Jutsu_!"

A sweltering fireball came in between Haku and Kakashi, and the masked boy was forced to retreat when Sasuke, quite literally, jumped into battle.

He was smirking at him, two blades gripped in his hands and stance ready. "You're my opponent now."

Sakura and Naruto glided in soon after, the former kneeling before the shifting Kakashi while the latter joined Sasuke in pre-combat.

"You three, _what_ are you doing here...?"

Sakura clicked her tongue in annoyance, forcing his body back down onto the bridge. "More like what are _you_ doing here, sensei. You know you're tired."

Sasuke cut in, "But Zabuza is now dead?"

Kakashi gave an affirmative and the team relaxed.

"Kakashi sensei, I'm going to heal you now, stay still."

"Hn. You ready?"

"Always, dattebayo!"

They launched into conflict soon after, not noticing how Sakura seemed to recoil away.

 _[Restart]_

Pushing forward, the two boys forced Haku even farther back, shutting out time to pull out his senbon. Naruto slowed, summoning clones that henges to look like Sasuke and himself, hiding among them while Sasuke took the lead.

Weaving through the copies the Uchiha found an opening at Haku's unguarded back, who was skillfully popping clones with his needles.

Without hesitation he attempted to rip through the skin of Haku's back, but his wrist was caught and he was thrown to the ground.

Performing a kick-up onto Haku's chest that make him stumble backward Sasuke tried again, this time successfully slicing his forearm.

With his compromising position, lunged forward with an outstretched arm, Haku expertly kneed his elbow out of proportion with needed _force_ and swept his feet out from under him.

Falling into a perfect forward roll Sasuke backed up to let Naruto continue the fighting with his army.

Biting back a howl as he pushed his joint back into place Sasuke substituted with one of his own counterparts, who was near the enemy.

Haku swiftly turned to him as if to heartlessly kill another fake but the real Uchiha boy jumped, grabbing his wrists again with one hand and pulled them down, kicking off another bent clone's shoulder resulting in them popping and roundhouse kicked the senbon user in the jaw.

The mask flew off his face when his head snapped to the side, cracking and splitting as it skidded across the wet concrete. But it didn't stop them.

In a show of teamwork the real Naruto rushed underneath Sasuke to ensure a safe landing pad, even if it would hurt. Once he was down safely Naruto grabbed the enemy's legs and pushed him to the ground, Sasuke leaping over his kneeling form towards Haku.

But something happened.

Before he could reach the floor ice needles threw Sasuke to the side with the alarming quantity and quality of the throw, causing Naruto to jerk and accidentally letting go of Haku who kicked him off violently.

As the two boys writhed on the ground the mist crystallized suddenly and quickly, forming ice mirrors that circled the two. Haku melted into one of them soundlessly, aloof once more.

"You can't kill me," his voice surrounded the two as they helped each other up, their backs to each other.

"I am too strong for you-"

 _"Just watch us!"_

Naruto glanced to Sasuke for support, but he wasn't available, muttering _"is Sakura done yet..?!"_

The no longer masked boy grasped a senbon in his hands, Naruto and Sasuke bringing up their weapons in preparation to deflect the single threat. "We'll see about that, won't we?"

He threw it, and one appeared from every mirror, the rain of needles bounding down towards the surprised and unprepared boys, although the Uchiha knew they couldn't evade without outside help.

They deflected each of them with all their might, but it still sliced their skin, the flesh around the cut immediately staining an ugly color and the sting was amplified.

"Poison!" Sasuke grunted out to his subordinate over the deafening sound of metal and ice against steel.

The assault stopped soon after, but the two were only given a second of rest because Haku threw another single senbon once more.

In desperation Sasuke let a barrage of shuriken curve towards where he saw Haku merge, Naruto immediately defending both of them with another few clones to be used as shields.

Not letting up he fired yet another fire Jutsu at the boy, expecting it to melt.

To his surprise, the boy jumped out of the ice he was occupying and to its next door neighbor, and the fire didn't affect the ice in any way.

"It's chakra-infused," Haku explained quietly when Sasuke and Naruto fell to a knee, tired and riddled with cuts. "It's going to take flames much hotter than that to melt my ice."

This time he grasped two senbon, letting them flow out of the mirror and multiply. Sasuke jumped up, but Naruto stayed down, breathing heavily and trembling.

 _He's lost too much chakra!_

Shifting in front of the boy to guard him immediately, Sasuke threw one needle off course only to let another one nick his blind spot, energy being squeezed from his body from every sharp sting. His eyesight seemed to tint slightly _red_ and the needles began to slow, easier to see but not easier to block. He couldn't weave away from them when he's guarding a prone body.

The attack didn't stop soon enough and there was a moment of silence as the needles clattered to the floor, the wind moving out of his path almost respectively as Sasuke fell backwards bonelessly, and Naruto caught him.

The boy's cerulean eyes were wide and afraid. For him. "Why-why did you do _that_?!" He knew Sasuke was tired from fighting bandits near Tazuna's abode in the middle of the night, being forced into combat less than five minutes later, fainting, then leading his team into another assault.

The Uchiha in question shifted slightly and spit blood off to the side. "Because...you didn't get your fat self up to help...now, _did_ you?"

"But-"

"Get..Sakura. She should be..done...by now."

 _"T-teme, listen to me! Why..why did you do it?!"_

He was silent for a moment, face contorted in pain. He answered in a whisper, "...you're a part of this team, aren't you?"

Everything seemed to quiet as Sasuke's eyes slowly closed. Naruto laid him gently onto the floor, eyes shadowed by his bangs.

"I'm sorry about that," Haku began. "He wasn't supposed to step in front of you. Even so, his death was inevitable. As is yours."

Haku didn't throw the needle; instead he waited patiently for the Uzumaki to get up, which he eventually did, head still bowed.

His fists clenched tight at his sides as he peeked at Sasuke's prone, vulnerable form inches away. "He thought of me as a teammate..Sakura-chan thinks of me as a teammate..."

Suddenly his head snapped up, eyes blood red and pupils slit like those of a fox, big marbly tears dripping down his face. "How do you think she'll react when I failed him?! And her?!"

"They _trusted_ me!"

 _"Okay, you're right."_

 _"You ready?"_

 _"Good morning, Naruto. I've got to go to the clinic and Kakashi said you'd be guarding me. Are you up for the task?"_

 _"Glad to see you too, Naruto."_

His battle cry was high-pitched and shrill, inhuman as he barreled towards the nearest mirror with gas-like tails swinging behind him.

He was angry, for the second time today.

 _[Restart]_

She felt it again.

The pulse of evil energy throughout the bridge elicited a shiver from both her and Kakashi.

"What is that..?" Sakura mumbled, even though the answer was clear and in the air.

"Naruto." Kakashi responded, face stony. He slowly got to his feet, as if testing the waters before repeatedly shunshining towards the fight. Sakura scrambled after him quickly, gripping a kunai blade.

They didn't get very far as Haku's body appeared through the mist, flying through the air at high speeds before landing on the pinkette, toppling her over.

She barely managed to stay up thanks to reflexive chakra grip and Haku slid on the ground, Naruto running up to him covered in red chakra. Without hesitation Sakura jumped back, allowing the boy to reach his target.

Kakashi didn't have the same qualms, however, grabbing the boy's arms and pinning him to the floor, the Uzumaki writhing wildly beneath him. "Sakura, hold him down."

Once again without missing a beat she apprehended her wriggling teammate, pinning him to the floor and climbing onto his lower back, leaning down to whisper sweet nothings into his ear while Kakashi dealt with Haku.

She felt the boy calm as she rushed healing chakra through his wrists, forcing the angry haze down. "It's okay, Naruto, it's okay. I'm proud of you."

"...are you really?"

The hope in his voice broke her heart, because she was always the one looking for hope in him and he was so...not Naruto.

"I'm sure, Naruto. We're all proud of you. Rest now."

"...I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan. Sasuke..."

Suddenly Sakura's world dimmed and her hearing muffled, the world around her blurring but Naruto was perfectly clear, vivid colors and loud voice.

"...what happened?"

"...I'm so sorry."

She leaped off the boy, scrambling through his tangled legs and sprinting off into the mist. She heard Kakashi and Naruto call her back but she didn't care.

There he was, lying on the cold floor and choking in his own blood. A ghost of an image appeared in her minds eye, Sasuke riddled with needles before her, like a pincushion, but this time there were just cuts.

Each laced with a small dose of poison.

She leaped for him, hands aglow with fiery green and roamed his body, healing with the precision of a war-torn medic under Tsunade Senju's tutelage.

 _'Calm, calm, calm'_

 **'There isn't even that much poison. Shut up, will you?**

It felt like days had passed since her heart stopped at the sight of her love but in reality it had been minutes, Naruto and Kakashi standing behind her quietly as she mended her teammate soundlessly.

 _[Restart]_

"Sasuke."

"Ugh, what?"

She trotted in with a large bucket rested in her hands. "Naruto is going to challenge you to tree-walking when we get back to Konoha."

She watched him shift slightly on the windowsill, a heavily bandaged hand moving from the dust bunnies on the sill to his thigh. "Tell him I'm not doing it."

The morning light shining through the bare window spotted rays of light through the room, as if it was a ballroom. The Haruno adjusted the aluminum basin in her hands before setting it down before Sasuke gingerly.

He carefully pushed off the window minding his injuries and sat himself in front of the basket, rummaging through it with his hands. Sakura sat next to him, doing the same thing.

"I think he really wants to test your availability. There's worse he could have chosen."

"Hn."

He dipped his hands in once more, pulling out blunt blades and wads of money. "Where'd you get this stuff?"

"Kakashi-sensei was raiding Gato's main hideout with Naruto while I was helping you recuperate; he ended up killing Haku, also. Told me to watch over the stuff." Sakura said daintily with a parent-like smile.

"That was.."

"Hm?"

"..never mind." He looked away, slightly unnerved. He could have sworn he saw his mother's smile.

They fell into companionable silence soon after; but Sakura still felt unneeded tension.

"...do you trust me?"

The Uchiha didn't look up, but he did blink rapidly at her question while he dug through the goods unconsciously.

"...I guess."

A weight lifted off the girl's shoulders and she sighed, leaning back onto her hands. A casual conversation with Sasuke? Her old self would have shrugged her off quickly, unbelieving that all it took was a little sense to make an unwilling colleague.

For a while, the only thing heard was the sharp chirping of birds outside the window. All was peaceful.

"...Sakura. Get ready to train when we're back in Konoha."

"Sure."

The door was thrown open, and Naruto came bouncing in, bandage-free. "Hey, _Teme_! Kaka-sensei wants you! Again!"

If Sasuke was any lesser man he would have groaned. However, his teeth only ground together and he pushed Naruto to the floor as he left, who jumped up and shouted at him, offended.

 _'Guess teamwork doesn't last long.'_

' **No, not really.'**

"So, Sakura-chan! 'Watcha doing?" said the Uzumaki as he dropped himself down in front of his teammate, who giggled good-naturedly. "Nothing much, just talking to Sasuke." She let her hands slip through the basin once more. "Tell me about he raid; I didn't get many details."

"Oh, Sakura-chan, you should have been there! It was _so_ cool, clones were jumping through the windows and stuff and everyone looked so scared-"

The pinkette brought her knees to her chest quietly, wrapping her aching arms around the bundle silently.

 **END OF CHAPTER 12**

 **I didn't want the chapter to come out so late, but I ended up spending most of my time worrying over school.**

 **Well, look at that. Eight chapters later and the Wave Mission is finally finished. Took me long enough, honestly. I'm not the best at fight scenes and I cut out a few parts but (hopefully) they'll be explained.**

 **Tell me in the comments what kind of side-ships you'd like to see in the chapter.**

 **I'm finally moving on to the Chūnin Exams Arc! I'm going to start including a few side characters, and I'm planning out a few specific scenes.**

 ** _Maria.k.b.k_ : Thanks for that review, and yes I do take criticism. I'll try and slow down the rush and add more detail to the...well, everything.**

 **...well, bye.**

 **( Sorry about spelling errors and the like )**


	13. thirteen

**I have no intentions of hurrying this story in any way, shape or form. It's gonna be long. After what I did for the Wave Arc I have no choice but to make every Arc about that long, so. You're welcome.**

 **Anyway, I intend to add some less important characters to the story, to give depth and to advance the plot. Not exactly sure what this chapter will be about so I'll just be recording whatever comes to mind first. This'll just be settling things down and some subplot.**

 **I also want some character development so I think I'll be putting the ships, at least the main ships, to the side for now, and building the characters then the ships can come back in at key moments of the story. No flashback here, either.**

 **SasuHina:1**

 **NaruHina:2**

 **ShikaIno:3**

 **NejiTen:**

 **ShikaTema:**

 **KibaIno:**

 **KibaHina:**

 **You don't have to vote for one of these! Make your own!**

 **—Restart—**

 _"secrets"_

 _[Restart]_

In the world they live in, where children graduate school to fight till one's quietus and worth is judged by how easily you can kill, death was a familiar prospect.

It can be unexpected, sudden and demanding, or it could have been foreshadowed making eyes darken with knowledge.

It could happen on the battlefield, on either sides of the war.

The academy youngsters were taught that death was a part of the job, that sometimes you need to sacrifice for the greater good.

But in this case, what was the greater good? Was it so worthy, so valuable, to alter personas that have been around for years?

Naruto clenched his fists inside his orange-knit pockets.

He'd been with his team for two to three months minimum and at first he thought that it was going to be the worst, reading his teammates and thinking about their conflicting personalities.

He didn't expect Sakura-chan to put her old habits to the side for the team. He didn't expect Sasuke-teme to put away his self-respect for the safest yet cowardly options.

They changed for the greater good; they _sacrificed_. Why couldn't he?

These past few days he's been acutely aware of his standstill. Sakura-chan's been seeking help and learned a valuable skill in the span of a few hours; she's so _amazing_.

Sasuke-teme was able to fearlessly lead them into battle, putting on a brave face even though he was the most worked out of all of them.

What has Naruto done to contribute?

 _Nothing_.

Facing the fact that he was the weakest on his team excited his blood, and it was only worse watching the two stronger comrades pull him up out of his severe self reflection, even subtly and begrudgingly.

Sasuke didn't even tack on an arrogant mutter, then, after the bridge. Just told him he did well and went to lick his wounds silently. And the Uchiha was never one for encouragement or flattering remarks.

Naruto unclenched his fists, trying to get rid of the sharp pain that came from his blood beading palms. Sakura'd burst a vessel if she saw.

He wasn't going to be weak for long.

Naruto would join his teammates in the front, not walk behind them. _That_ was his nindo, his ninja way.

"Naruto," he heard his female teammate chirp neutrally yet impatiently behind the door frame, "We're gonna go through the town for some fabric before we leave. Want to come?"

The boy in question coughed nervously, sitting up on his bandaged arms and off the futon. He hadn't heard her knocking. "I-I uh, I'll pass! Can you...get me a _souvenir_ , though?"

"Sure, Naruto. Try not to move so much and get some sleep, _okay_?"

The genuine concern for his well-being had him swallowing hard, saying "Sure, Sakura-chan," instead of getting an adrenaline rush of "You care! _Let's go out on a date_!"

He heard the rhythmic padding of her precise steps on the creaky wooden floor, the light "He's not coming, sensei!" That reverberated through the short hall.

Carefully lowering himself back onto the bed with only slight muscle tremors and a wince, the Jinchuuriki thought of what his next step would be to his goal, even if he couldn't begin now.

 _"...Sakura. Get ready to train when we're back in Konoha."_

 _"Sure."_

With a bit of effort he came to a conclusion: He's not the only one who can find a training partner.

Hopefully nothing interesting happens while he's not around.

 _[Restart]_

"Why not?"

"Dunno, sensei, I guess he's still tired."

Immediately the cruel thought of ' _If he's still down, there must be something wrong_ ' came to his mind, and Sasuke found no reason to not share, even if it was just an illegible murmur.

"That's not nice, Sasuke- _kun_ ," his pink haired teammate cut in between bouts of laughter.

 _Oh, so they're really back to that?_

The '- _kun_ ' seemed to slip like air on her tongue, unnoticed and newly frequent, and he couldn't help being a little happy that there was still that piece of evidence that she wasn't a traitor.

 _"..if you're going to leave me here, at least allow me to heal you."_

 _He stopped fidgeting, staring at her for a long moment before exhaling sharply through his nose, eyes closing in resignation. "Stubborn."_

...He knew now, that she wasn't a traitor.

The Uchiha boy kept picking at the sharpening stone he was using, rolling it in his hands as he watched his female teammate from the corner of his eye. She was bugging sensei for money, not quite wanting to use her own since he knew she was saving, for what he was no longer sure.

"Bah, _whatever_ , sensei. Sasuke-kun!" She bounded up to him and he could see the comfort and ease in her steps, no longer the suspicious, wary crawl. "Would _you_ be willing to contribute?"

"You have your own money."

"B-but I want to save it!"

"Hn."

She quite literally collapsed into the chair across from him, nudging the table sharply and the chair tilted sideways till it fell down again with a crack. "Okay, you give me money, and... I'll owe you."

"What could I possibly get from you?"

"U- _uhm_..."

"Ask the dobe."

 _"No way!"_

Came the muffled, indignant rejection from upstairs.

He didn't react when Sakura defeatedly started rummaging through her pouch for cash, but felt a strange warm sensation envelope his body, one he hasn't felt since the Massacre.

While dysfunctional, he enjoyed having somewhat of a family again.

 _[Restart]_

The town was... _different_.

Yes, there was still poverty and yes, everything was still a bit rough but there was this heavy undertone of happiness, relief, pure _joy_ that seemed to make the air shimmer.

 _"It's the Pink Doctor!"_

 _"Thank you so much!"_

 _"You've healed my son!"_

 _"Please, take this!"_

The ' _Pink Doctor_ ' could feel the questioning glances from her teammates on her back, making sure she bashfully accepted the gifts and praise that came as they walked through the marketplace.

Her dainty arms were rather full when they first came across a fabric shop. The group paused in their walking, gravel crinkling under their feet as they gave the...' _shop_ ' a once over.

It was more like a haunted house at best, a shack at worst. Whatever paint there still was was in the process of peeling off, the wood that built it shivered at the touch and all the windows and holes were shattered or just..old.

The entire house gave off old; _ravaged_.

Yes _house_ , because while it was run down it was as big as a single family home, despite the poor look of the rest of the bazaar, and all the houses seemed to recoil away from it.

Sakura was just waiting for the cliche flash of lightning overhead.

Adjusting the items in her grasp in preparation to knock, she wasn't surprised when the two empty handed men behind her waited till the last moment to cut in and do it for her.

Immediately at Kakashi's touch the door rattled slightly before winding open slowly, creaky and previously unlocked.

All three of them were instantly on guard at the white glow of what looked like sclera scattered across the room.

After the fight on the bridge it was taking all of them a quick minute to recuperate; therefore their senses and body were a bit stunted, making all of them vulnerable to surprises.

There was the clack of heels on the floor, before the lights shuddered on, flickering and an eerie light yellow that shadowed every obscurity pitch black.

Mirrors were scattered on the floor and almost every part of the walls, shattered glass running across the floor. As the light hit the pieces the walls were jumping with light, which hit even _more_ mirrors.

It was dark, except for random rays of light spotted around the surprisingly large room.

A man, old and frail stared at them with squinted eyes, wrinkly hand still caressing the light switch, as if he intended to turn it back off.

"What are you doing here, hm?"

"Fabrics, sir," the medic answered immediately and with utmost politeness, knowing that whatever the two men behind her would say, even if nice, will set the elder on guard. "We were told you sold fabrics."

His eyes never opened but he turned and began running his bony fingers along all kinds of surfaces, flickering in and out of existence as he left the light and appeared once more, before finally reaching the large black metal spiral staircase situated in the middle of the chaos. Wordlessly he gripped the railing and began cautiously climbing, and the three Ninja got the unspoken message to follow.

 **'Blind, then.'**

"Leave all your belongings downstairs," he called down to them, forcing Sakura and co. to go back down the stairs she had already been halfway through with and drop their _everything_ : gifts, pouches, every single thing.

The pinkette couldn't help but notice how Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei's guards dropped fully and they set down everything, despite the suspicious aura this place gave off, while she unhooked her dagger inconspicuously and settled it on the leather weapons strap constricting her spandex clad thigh, letting the rest of her bagged metal gear drop unceremoniously to the ground.

The way they relaxed, even the _jounin_ , when spotting the weak old man cooled her bones.

The trio began the long trek up the stairs once more, this time reaching the top. The atmosphere was much homier, with red carpet on the ground with sofas and a counter on the top, but there were numerous holes in the roof and no electricity, causing actual rays of pure light to shine in beautifully.

The man stood behind the counter, giving them an earnest smile.

But Sakura saw the way his eyebrow twitched.

He spoke. "What can I do for you?"

This time Kakashi stepped up, ready to acquire new cloth for their use. He waved a hand at his two students, saying "Maa, why don't you two wait downstairs while I bargain?"

Sasuke and Sakura, knowing full well that in a poor town like this prices were bound to be high, obediently left to save time.

Light chattering was heard in wisps from upstairs as the two trailed back down the stairs into the eerie room. Glass clinked underneath their feet as they walked aimlessly around the room.

As Sakura bent to strap her pouches back onto her person, she saw the familiar glint of oiled metal in the corner. She stiffened in her reaching pose. It seemed Sasuke noticed this, also, because his hand fell from his own pouches and his body turned towards the light.

Cautiously, the Haruno finished retrieving her equipment before cautiously approaching the glint, her teammate slightly in front of her as they stalked.

"Don't you think this place is a bit odd?" Sakura murmured to Sasuke. He nodded slightly, before adding "No one else has this much room; and most definitely not an entire floor covered in _glass_."

Sakura was running her fingers along the walls as they left a beam of light, and sharply recoiled when she touched something loose and a creaking sound emerged.

A lone kunai fell and clattered to the floor, no longer trapped between the wall and the doorframe. The sound was loud and ominous, and the Genin cringed as it rang throughout the silent room uncomfortably.

The Uchiha swiped up the kunai, inspecting it with adroit fingers. "It's well taken care of. The metal isn't rusted and it's very sharp.." he concluded with a mutter, running his thumb along the tip to see it immediately draw blood.

Sakura took his hand gently and healed the digit with little effort, taking the kunai from him while he wiped excess blood on his shirt. "Why in the world would such a weapon be _here_ of all places? There's barely any ninja and those that are around are barely past Genin. This is at least Chūnin-level work." As she turned it in her fingers keen emerald eyes spotted markings scraping along the hilt.

 _'Root.'_

Her lips were sealed and she did not speak of this to her teammate, instead urging him through the open door.

It was a narrow hall, with drywall and stone floors, but glass free and easy to walk across. Both ninja unsheathed kunai as they delved deeper into this mystery.

Finally leaving the long hallway they came across a set of stairs leading down.

 **'This is getting more and more sketchy.'**

 _'Basement?'_

Sasuke automatically took the lead, coercing Sakura behind him as they walked the equally narrow stairway. They soon reached the end, and just as Sasuke was about to step down off the staircase there was yet another clink. Different, almost like a tile pressured into the ground.

Sakura yanked his arm back and he stumbled on the steps and on his behind when senbon rained over their heads and broke through the closed door way they just came through.

"Why are there traps?" The pinkette muttered under her breath, as Sasuke cautiously lit a fire in his hand to see many discolored tiles littering the floor. "The old man doesn't know about this?" he exclaimed quietly.

As the fire's sparking light illuminated the small room, conjoined pieces of red string attached all over the place were revealed, pointing at faces and places and symbols, with scrawled notes scattered along the area. Weapons were stuck into the walls and they scraped words into them, illegible and unreadable.

In the middle of all of the chaos, there were two seals, newly and horribly painted that were dripping the ink pattern down the wall.

"Quick, get it down," the Uchiha urged, having seen seals before and knowing that one mistake could change it all.

Even Sakura couldn't crack it at this time, as it was morphing into a spray paint pattern. She whipped out one of her last scrolls and copied down what it currently looked like and what it may have looked like to the best of her ability. She was no Sai, after all, but was trained in the art of the hand by the boy.

Blowing on the ink for a minute to dry it she rolled up the scroll and gave it to Sasuke; who hid it speedily and well on his person.

"Wow..." the medic breathed out unconsciously at the utter bedlam that made up the room. "I _doubt_ the old man doesn't know about this." She concluded, trying to commit the room to memory.

Cautiously sidestepping tiles the two began searching the room for any more interesting artifacts, and looking at the pictures on the walls.

Sakura didn't dare touch them; but most of the images were of rich people and places and clans. The pinkette heard the Uchiha take in a sharp breath through his nose, and carefully rushed over. "What is it?" She said.

He was frozen like bedrock in his place, activated eyes locked onto the picture in front of him. Standing on her toes, Sakura glanced at the photo over his shoulder.

She found she also couldn't move.

 **'No way.'**

In front of him, was a picture of the Uchiha crest. It was clean and merged into stone, so it was taken directly from the compound. There wasn't a clean slice through the mark like the current compound, weapons evidence that Itachi made sure to apply to everywhere you could find it.

"Does _He_ have something to do with this?" The muttered venom in his words at the pronoun made her gelid.

Dropping onto her heels once more Sakura turned, searching. How many of these images are people who resemble Uchiha?

After yet another sweep, Sakura found that yes, many of them remind one of the revered Clan.

In fact, one of the images was of Itachi himself, where he clearly wasn't paying attention as his eyes were diverted and his guard was lowered, if only barely. In Anbu garb, you could tell it was before the Massacre.

Because the light in her sensei's eyes had yet to fully fade.

Sakura ripped the photo off the wall quietly and burned it in her fingers.

"Sasuke-kun," she called out. He turned to her but didn't move, didn't speak, still in front of the insignia.

"Let's tell someone about this." In reality, she had quickly crossed that idea out, but she had a facade to maintain. Right now, she wasn't an adult war-fighting soldier. She was a prepubescent teen wanting a change.

That elicited a reaction, because a denial rang out, sharp with finality.

 _"No."_

There was a bang at the locked door, repetitive and getting louder.

 _"Whoever's in there, you're dead!"_

The fact that the door wasn't already broken down said that this was a civilian threat, but they still panicked, not wanting to be seen.

Apparently, they shared the same mind in that moment, ripping down as many pictures as they could possibly shove into their pouches and scanning the area for an escape route.

Sasuke lit yet another fire in his hand to spot an open pipe; more like an underground path.

They didn't waste any time in jumping through, just as the hinges on the door were blown off with manmade firepower. Sakura got a glimpse of a mask similar to one in a picture she snagged before she was rushing down a slide of black, Sasuke pressed against her tightly.

She couldn't help but notice that the pipe was clean and oiled well, as if it was frequently used.

 _[Restart]_

The tunnel seemed to widen as they went deeper, but it got darker and there was no light at the beginning or the end. In conclusion, the two were rushing down a widening pipe at high speeds shrouded in darkness.

Sakura held onto her teammate's collar in a vice grip to ensure they didn't get separated.

The two stopped with a jerk and slammed into a wall, the only light were the sudden stars in their eyes from the collision.

Sakura was the first to jump back into existence. "Wh-what? We stopped?" The tunnel was wide enough now that they could make an average hallway out of it.

Fire brightened the darkness again, just enough for Sasuke's keen eyes to make out two separate paths beside the wall they were at. "There's a fork," he muttered.

There was a creaking noise from upwards and their heads jerked towards that direction. There was slight chatter and suddenly there was a bright light shining through the shaft; flash that put them in the spotlight, looking similar to runaway criminals. Or deer in headlights.

"There! _Follow them_!"

Instead of pondering what kind of device could get light all the way down _here_ , the two were taken by dread, looking to each of the paths with apprehension. Left or right..?

"One of these passages _has_ to lead outside," the pinkette declared as they moved out of direct light. "But which one?"

The clangs and curses of clumsy civilian movement were getting louder and more vulgar, and Sakura began to rush Sasuke down the right tunnel. He complied, also at a loss.

But the gut feeling that it _wasn't going to go well_ stopped her from immediate action.

So instead of leaping down the abyss once more they put Sakura's chakra control lessons to the test and clung to the top of the larger hole, in a position where they could escape or continue down, and right out of a civilian's line of sight.

Her breath hitched as the large group of masked persons came closer to their location, mumbling and muttering to each other.

The Genin medic felt Sasuke's chakra rage with power and knew the Sharingan was activated. So she decided to commit the masks to memory, also. They were quite peculiar, a set she had never seen before in any type of affiliation. Made from what seemed like iron and steel, unlike the gritty porcelain she was used to, they were angular and not at all shapely, with _large_ eye holes unlike the slits or small incisions seen in Konoha. It was unsettling.

"Where'd they go?"

"I dunno, can't feel their chakra." There was an underlying _yet_ in the sentence that made Sakura and Sasuke force down their signatures even more.

 _Why_ would civilians be taught to _sense chakra_? At _this_ age?

"Did you see them? They were so tiny. What Village do you think they belong to?"

"Probably a bloodthirsty one, to be pumping out child soldiers."

 _What kind of village are you guys familiar with?_

Their gruff voices, unlike the smooth baritone of male Leaf ANBU began drifting off to the left, and the two soundlessly drifted down the tunnel, narrowly escaping the masked men.

 _[Restart]_

Once again they were captured by darkness, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel that retrieved the two and set them outside, and behind the house.

With careful casualty and with no words spoken, the Genin strolled back inside just in time to see Kakashi coming down the long stairs, balancing tomes of cloth. Sakura greeted him lightly as he divvied up the workload between the three of them.

Sasuke said nothing.

As they walked out of the eerie place, Sakura realized that the entire ordeal couldn't have been longer than an hour.

"The man was stubborn, but I finally got a nice deal out of him," Kakashi drawled. "I felt your chakra signatures move out of the house and dim. What happened?" His tone was light, but the question was unbearably heavy.

And the discreet glare Sasuke was sending her way added tremendously to the weight. Still, he said nothing.

The pinkette shifted the textile in her arms to readjust, buying time for an excuse.

After a moment, as they were turning a corner and more gifts from the citizens were piled on top of the materials she held, she spoke. "I...I thought I heard something creak. I ran off, and Sasuke tried to bring me back. I wouldn't let it go, so we hid for a while to find whatever it was. Just a bunny."

The girl forced embarrassed color to her cheeks and neck with Inner's help, and sent Sasuke an apologetic smile. But at the same time she made sure he saw the icy undertone.

"Sorry... _Sasuke-kun_."

 _"I am going to drag you into this mess face-first. Sorry, not sorry, Sasuke-kun."_

It was hidden well enough that Kakashi don't seem to notice the silent threat, and they walked on in silence, other than the standing ovation the town goers gave her as the group walked through the marketplace.

 _[Restart]_

All the fabrics were dumped into the small room the three Genin had to share for the mission. Eagerly, Naruto limped over and picked out the colors he wanted his clothes to be repaired in: orange, orange, and more _orange_. And a bit of yellow.

Sakura laughed at him from her corner of the room, while Sasuke didn't seem to be irritated, nor gloomy. Just distracted, in deep thought.

Sakura noticed this, and her mood dimmed. There were secrets in that room connecting to his dead Clan; she couldn't blame him for shushing.

But she _could_ blame him for keeping unnecessary secrets.

"Hey, hey, Sakura-chan!" The Uzumaki slowly came over to her, and carefully sat down, setting his crutches to the side. Even sitting, he was a battery.

" _What'd you get me?! The souvenir_?!"

...oh.

He wouldn't be angry if she told him she's forgotten, right? Gotten...sidetracked?

Suddenly a thought came to her, a thought so random that she felt guilty. Pushing her hand into her kunai pouch, she pulled out a ball of crumpled up pictures. Sasuke's eyes darted over immediately, apparently alert. " _Don't do it, Sakura_."

"He's part of the team, too, Sasuke-kun. You trust him, don't you?"

The avenger didn't say anything for a long while, and Naruto's face fell. "...it... _depends_." The boy brightened in an instant. Sakura unrolled the messy sphere and smoothed out the paper on each little piece, after making sure Kakashi-sensei was miles away at the bridge.

Each picture had something different, from a signboard to a waterfall, and Naruto looked over each comically, rubbing his chin as if it bore hair. He stopped at a very crumpled picture. Smoothing it out a bit more, his eyes widened. "Is that..the Uchiha crest?"

"Naruto," Sakura started.

"There's something going on around here, and as a team, we are going to get to the bottom of it."


	14. fourteen

**I GAVE YOU ALL THE WRONG CHAPTER TO READ FOR 13. I'm so SORRY.**

 **To anyone who may ask why Sasuke is so OOC in this story, or anyone else for that matter, may I just clear up one thing? If a character can primarily act a certain way, such as Sasuke being stoic and aloof, but losing character around a specific person, such as Naruto, why couldn't they do the same to someone else in a similar position, such as Sakura? It's called development, in this case. There's going to be mentions of Military Time. Sorry about any spelling mistakes, and I hope you enjoy.**

 **SasuHina:1**

 **NaruHina:2**

 **ShikaIno:3**

 **ShikaTema:**

 **NejiTen:**

 **KibaIno:**

 **KibaHina:**

 _[Restart]_

 _The scent of charred flesh and old blood scorched her nose and made her go teary-eyed; it was overpowering._

 _Her heavy duty sandals crunched over whittled bones left by long gone scavengers. She pulled the ragged cloth closer to her face to block out the stench._

 _Her fists clenched around her pouch every time there was a faint clatter of cartilage or squelch of human waste._

 _The air here was too dry yet too overwhelming. She couldn't breathe._

 _The war wasn't over, but the cataclysm also hasn't stopped._

 _The conflict has been alive for a long time, and the runoff was beginning to fill too much._

 _And it was her duty to resolve this, as a holocaust medic._

 _So she walked through the barren wastelands left by previous fighting, looking for the passed._

 _There was a faint whine of a dog from not too far away, and she went to that area prepared to pack up the body for burning and salvage as many organs as possible._

 _She strode over the cracking dirt ground with confidence in her steps that hid unease and abhorrence of the highest caliber._

 _She could see the prone form in the distance; there was no plant life of any kind to obscure that body._

 _As she got closer she noticed there were several other bodies nearby; a squad of twelve were in this area not long ago, based on the newly shed blood that glinted bright in the sweltering heat._

 _But without a doubt, she knew they were all dead._

 _She had grown accustomed to seeing the faces of the dead instead of the grateful to be healed._

 _The dog whined once more, and the girl drew pink hair away from her eyes to see an animal she was oh so familiar with._

 _"Akamaru..."_

 _Protecting his master had cost the poor soul an arm and a leg as he was laying on one side with dying eyes, bleeding freely from the remains of his limbs and barking weakly._

 _And then there was Kiba, all the ways one could think he had died. Foaming at the mouth while simultaneously nursing several stab wounds, skin going purple from loss of oxygen that could also be from venom or poison._

 _Either way, dead was dead._

 _Sakura crouched carefully next to Akamaru, stroking behind his ear and watching him lean into the caring touch, before using her other hand to stop his heart through ventricular fibrillation, with Lightning Nature chakra she had to agonize over before finally force-learning the affinity._

 _He whined for a few moments, before all movement ceased and the desert was quiet again._

 _"Sakura, there you are."_

 _Ino came running up to her kneeling form, before sliding to a stop and onto her knees at the sight of her old friend. He was barely recognizable._

 _Her tightly gloved hand reached out to cup his face, but the roseate intercepted the touch quickly._

 _"Ino, check the other bodies for anything we can use. I'll take care of these two."_

 _Without another word but with pause, the girl went to her assigned task, but not before whispering through her surgical mask, "You're safe now, Kiba."_

 _The blonde woman left with her head held high, but still wiping away tears that cleaned streaks down a dusted face._

 _As soon as the audience left, and the faint crackle of blaze lighting on a pile of useless bodies and organs reached her ears, she quickly gathered up the corpses, carefully handling the maimed dog which was still covered in static electricity, and bounded over to the mass burning._

 _With the dry air here, the fire should run on long enough to burn the ashes into the ground._

 _Or she'll just crush them under her sandal._

 _Whichever happened first, but with the amount of dead bodies lying around in deserted battlefields, she might not be here long enough to do so._

 **—Restart—**

 _"home sweet home"_

 _[Restart]_

"So anyway, I defeated them _all by myself,_ dattebayo!"

"That's not how _sensei_ told the story, Naruto."

"W-Well, Kaka-sensei might not have gotten it _exactly_ right!"

"Hn. Didn't you tell this story _yesterday_?"

"Did not!"

"Maa, and the day before _that_?"

"E-erm..."

" _Shannaro_! _Stop lying_!"

The only sound was the crackling of the weathered dirt road underneath heavy duty sandals and the pointless argument of Team Seven as they walked back to Konoha after successfully completing the Wave Mission, too weak and still healing to tree-jump.

Sakura stretched her arms over her head languidly as she took in the feeling of relaxation and the comfort of her team surrounding her, even if they were arguing.

 _'Finally, everything is going my way.'_

 **'Better be!'**

Her attention was brought to Sasuke when he roughly shoved his hands in his pockets and smirked. "Admit it, loser. You're editing the story. Only thing worse than a liar is a _bad liar_ , you know." His onyx eyes glinted with childish mischief, which melted her heart to puddles.

This seemed to seriously bother Naruto, as his arms began to flail as he screeched, "It was true! Well, most of it! Eh, half. Well, _maybe_ -"

There was a loud rustle from the trees that set each of them on edge, two hands whipping down to weapons while two slowly reached towards the area. Then soon after, a faint thud of something falling a meter or two away.

All eyes snapped toward the sound but Kakashi was already on it, giving them orders to stay here and attentive.

The atmosphere was suddenly tense with the three Genin, but their sensei's absence gave them prime time to talk amongst each other.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, Naruto." Sakura waved them closer, both grudgingly obliging. "So I was thinking, that we should find a place to look over the...' _scrolls_ ' together and see if we find any new...' _techniques_ '."

Sasuke quickly caught on to her secretive wording, with ' _scrolls_ ' meaning the pictures and ' _techniques_ ' meaning information. Naruto took a moment longer, but he winked at her conspicuously and exaggeratedly when he finally understood.

"We'll need somewhere spacious; there are a lot of...' _scrolls_ '." Naruto's pause was twice as long as her own, but at least he didn't wink at her this time. "I live in an apartment, so I'm out."

"I live in a townhome; it'd be too small to fit all of them in my room. And my parents would be around." The pinkette's teammates seem surprised when she said parents, as if they'd forgotten the team wasn't all orphans.

It broke her heart a little that they were so used to being alone. But then again, so was she.

"...Guess that leaves my home. It'd be big enough." Sasuke amended with a resigned tone. It's clear he didn't want Naruto or Sakura wandering around the Compound.

"There are a few things I want to do when I get back, though. When should we meet?" Sakura's voice lowered to a whisper.

"I need to do something, too," Sasuke said, frowning. "...come over at 1900 hours. We should be in Konoha at around 1700." The two Genin looked at Naruto for confirmation.

It was if his hand gravitated towards the back of his neck it looked so unconscious when he sheepishly smiled, red swiping across his scarred cheeks. "I've got nothing to do today."

 **'That translates to 'I have no one to greet or hang with.'**

' _Naruto...'_

The pinkette felt a surge of empathy for the Jinchuuriki. "Naruto, you wanna shop with me?" The way his eyes sparkled at the offer made her wonder if it was this bad back when she was really a Genin.

"Okay! _Thanks_ , Sakura-chan!"

The three dispersed, leaving the small little huddle they'd created to hear Kakashi coming back onto the road. His one visible eye crinkled in a smile at them. "Just the cycle of life." Every young eyebrow raised dubiously.

 **'Some animal was just murdered in cold blood, basically.'**

 _'Can you at least pretend to be innocent?'_

 _[Restart]_

Birds began chirping a symphony when Squad Seven reached the large gates protecting Konohagakure. The air was heavy with humidity and smelled of familiar spices and worn metal, and the Haruno basked in the feeling of being home again.

"Welcome home, you four," came from a bit farther up. As they walked over the threshold, they saw the two Chūnin guards, Kotetsu and Izumi, waving at them delightfully. Naruto bounded up to the pair, excited to see another Konoha ninja after such a long time.

"You have been away longer than expected. Run into anything?" Izumo asked Kakashi when the man started walking closer. He rubbed his neck, his mask creasing with a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that. Maa, you know I can't tell you the details."

"For a C-Rank? _I don't think so_."

"More like a C turned _A Rank_."

When Kotetsu blanched at this, the copy ninja motioned for his three Genin to part ways. "I'll send in the mission report. You three go reacquaint yourselves with Konoha."

At this, Naruto turned to Sakura expectantly. "Where are we gonna go first, dattebayo?!" The pinkette sighed pleasantly at his exuberance. No matter how much she missed seeing the young light in his eyes, he could get rather tiring. "I'm just going to be running errands, Naruto, don't get your hopes up."

As she said this, she began walking away from the village gates and into Konoha's many pathways leading to different training grounds.

When seeing the familiar dirt, sand and gravel roads she was reminded once more of why Konoha was the strongest hidden village. Even the layout of their base was strategical.

With the training grounds on the perimeters of the village, ninja could get to the outskirts the fastest in case of attack, and with the non-ninja houses, marketplaces and anything civilian including the Academy at the core, the non combatants were automatically the safest and the hardest to reach. Not to mention the safe houses hidden in the most unlikely places.

The only weakness she could really think of would be the pipes and tunnels that ran underneath Konoha, which were impractical for both shinobi and civvy alike.

No one really knew what went down beneath the streets. A weakness no one has bothered to address.

 **'Hey, Sasuke's talking to you.'**

The medic snapped out of it just in time to hear Sasuke say, "-Compound at 1830 hours." It was was whispered so Naruto wouldn't hear and he walked off immediately after.

 _'Couldn't have said something earlier?'_

 **'I'm _YOU_ , remember?! I was pretty interested in that train of thought, also!'**

 _'Whatever!'_

Sakura grabbed a hold of Naruto's tattered jacket sleeve and began pulling him along, ignoring his whiny protests. She grinned, saying "We've got to go to the tailors and put down our order!"

He managed to wriggle out of her hold and start skipping next to her. "Thanks again, Sakura-chan!"

"I'll _never_ leave a teammate behind!"

 _'Except when I allowed you to die on me.'_

' **We weren't strong enough. _Aren't_ strong enough. **

_[Restart]_

The pair ended up window shopping for a while before they went to the tailors'.

The bells hanging on the door jingled melodiously when Sakura carefully pushed it open with her elbow, peering inside. Behind the counter a man that couldn't be a day older than forty smiled at her, teeth and all.

" _Hi there, sweetie! What I can I do for you?"_

She tentatively smiled back at him. Being called ' _sweetie_ ' stung a little; she wasn't _really_ twelve.

"My friend and I," the pinkette revealed Naruto, who was standing behind her and therefore out of view, "-would like to place an order."

Before she could pull out their fabrics or wallets, the two tweens watched the man's face contort with disgust. "I'll help you, _little girl_ , but not that... _boy_." He spat the last word, glaring at Naruto.

 **''Little girl'? ' _Boy_ '?!'**

 _'He's an older man; of course he remembers the Kyuubi Attack.'_

Glancing at Naruto, she noticed him start to recoil away from the shop with shifty eyes and a hunched posture; very different from the energetic boy she knew.

She glared back at the man, who hesitated as if forgetting her presence. " _Now_ , why wouldn't you serve _both of us_?" She demanded, feigning ignorance.

He seemed to get angrier by the second, as he ground out words harshly and slowly. " _Princess_ ," he started.

 _'Don't call me princess!'_

 **'Don't call me princess!'**

"-you wouldn't know, _okay_? Just...get that ' _thing_ ' away from my shop!"

"I _refuse_! Tell me _why_!"

"S-Sakura-Chan, let's just _go_..." Naruto whispered. Looking over, she could tell he was taking each word like a stab to the chest. He began pulling on her hand, which held his in an unrelenting grip, trying to force them out of the store with tears welling in his eyes.

Her heart broke at the sight.

Glaring at the man one more time, she left go of the Jinchūriki's hand and he quickly ran outside.

"Watch yourself. I'll make _sure_ you burn in _Hell_ , got that?" She spared the man a few more words, and she brought a chill to his spine with her icy tone and deadly promise.

"W-what would you know? You're just a little _bitc_ -"

Her viridian eyes hardened into steel. Once she knew Naruto was out of sight and earshot, she let a shuriken fly, whizzing past his right ear and penetrating the body of a spider on the wall. It died immediately, it's halved parts falling to the floor.

"Watch your tone around _ninja_."

Calmly, she walked behind the counter and plucked her metal toy up from the floor, walking back over to the door and exiting with a parting sentence:

"You didn't see anything, _got that_?"

There was a thud, and just before the door closed fully she saw his body falling to the floor in a dead faint.

Reaching out mentally, she found Naruto's chakra and began running to catch up with him.

 **'You shouldn't have done that.'**

 _'I know. But I'll just kill him if he starts running his mouth.'_

 _[Restart]_

Sakura found him in an alleyway, rubbing his eyes fervently.

She didn't say anything; just grabbed his hand gently and began leading him out of the crevice and into the bustling afternoon rush.

They both kept their heads down as they scooted past the waves of people leaving many an office job and flowing into the outlets.

"Aren't you gonna _ask_?"

She glanced at the Uzumaki, who kept his head lowered and his eyes glued to the ground. His question was just a rhetorical whisper but Sakura decided to humor him and answer with a whisper of her own. "Ask what, Naruto?"

"What that was all about back there at the shop."

The pinkette was silent for a moment before answering the nervous boy. "I don't really _care_. But that man was in the wrong, and that's all that matters." He didn't answer for a while. She continued. "Naruto, don't listen to what these people tell you. Stay true to _yourself_ , _always_. You aren't an otherworldly demon, you are _Naruto_ _Uzumaki_ , future _Hokage_ , remember? But you're human, too, just like the _rest_ of us." he was silent, and just when Sakura thought he hadn't heard there was a faint sniffling.

Turning her head to him, she saw him crying, the tears dripping onto the ground they were covering and his face was misshaped with pain. He was rapidly sniffling to keep the snot in his nose from hanging.

She smiled at him and gripped his hand tighter, looking up and leading them out of the crowd.

As she led him on kindly he swiped at his face with his shabby sleeve. "Wh-why are you being so n- _nice_ to me?" he sobbed.

When they left the mass, she stopped him in one of the civilian neighborhoods. It was getting dark, as they had gotten back from their mission rather late, and the pole lights were beginning to switch on along with other late night illuminations, giving the streets each their own ethereal luster.

The pinkette let go of his hand, and allowed the boy to fully wipe his tears away.

"Naruto, I am _truly_ sorry about the way I've treated you. There was no real reason to it. It was uncalled for and influenced by the adults in my life. As I got to know you, I realized they were _wrong_. You are _nothing_ like they say you are, and I'm _glad_ to be your friend. You deserve to be treated fairly, and I'll make _sure_ that happens." She gave him a 90 degree bow.

 _"Please forgive me."_

Immediately, she was pulled back up and into a hug. He was shaking with the force of his sobs. "Thank you, _th-thank you so much_!" She wrapped her arms around him and brought him into their hug.

"No. Thank you, Naruto-kun."

He pulled away, and they both started when snot hung from his nose to her shoulder. Luckily she still had a short sleeve, so when Naruto fervently tried to wipe it away, and it only spread more, she found it more hilarious then concerning.

She pushed him away from her, giggling. "I'll just wash the dress, Naruto! It's fine, go home!"

He was laughing too, tears gone. "See you later, Sakura-chan!" He began quickly backing up before he turned around into a run, waving all the while.

" _Bye_!" She yelled back at him. It felt like a weight had lifted off the Haruno now that both parties were aware of a deep friendship.

Looking up, she saw the moon peeking out from behind the clouds and knew that it was almost time to meet Sasuke at the Uchiha Compound.

All mirth left her as the issue of the pictures came back to her attention.

 _"-Compound at 1830 hours."_

Ah, that.

 _'If I were to infer, it means to meet Sasuke at the Compound 30 minutes before Naruto comes? Why is he excluding Naruto again?'_

 **'Don't know. But you have about 15 minutes to get there.'**

Sakura shook interrupting thoughts out of her mind and began to run into her home, which was a little ways off from where she was talking with Naruto. She had a little bit of time to change, throw her dress in the wash, and get to the Compound.

If her parents were asleep early like they usually were, entering and leaving would be a breeze.

She'd just greet them tomorrow.

 _[Restart]_

Newly dressed in black leggings, a pale pink tank that covered her to mid-thigh and a loose gray cardigan with her regular ninja sandals, Sakura started the trek to the Uchiha Clan Compound.

 _'I wonder if Sasuke cleans the place.'_

There was a light struggle pushing through the gates that locked the clan grounds away from the rest of the world, but eventually the pinkette managed to sliver through the hole she was able to make.

Stumbling away from the large metal gates with fatigue, she hurried to straighten her steps and take the path to the end of the large compound, where the Main House resided.

As Sakura walked through the estate, it was like she could see ghosts of the past. It was like a small city in here.

Silhouettes of children running around playing catch, old bargaining with the young and siblings lightly bickering through the bazaar. The colorful reds, browns, grays, and blacks mixing to create a civilization in these walls. Ideas of former life burst into her head.

She wondered if Sasuke saw any of this.

The place was a ghost town, now. Dust covered every surface and all plants were overgrown, moss and vines winding up poles and roofs, infecting them with greenery.

It was a mess.

 **'Well, that answers your question.'**

But as she came closer to Sasuke's abode things began to clean up. The stone bridge was clear and shining, and the moat that circled the mansion still had the colorful koi fish swimming around happily. The house itself was in impeccable condition. Each fence, each gate, each brick and each slab were clean.

 **'I wonder how many _times a week_ he cleans the place.'**

 _'Shut up a moment, please.'_

Sakura crosses the threshold and pushed the much more lenient gate open, and stepped up to the door, hand raised for a knock.

Just as she was going to bang on the door, however, it opened without warning or creak and Sasuke ushered her inside silently.

 **'No creak?'**

 _'Why is that what you're focused on?'_

 **'Hey, well-oiled doors are attractive!**

Immediately, she took notice of how... _hollow_ his house seemed to be. There were nothing on the walls, no little knick-knacks or small treasures spread throughout the area like Sakura's home had. Just the bare minimum one needed to survive.

It was _depressing_ in there.

He led her to the large living room soundlessly, and if he noticed her ogling his house he didn't say anything.

He didn't tell her to sit down on the long couch and so she didn't, all he did swipe up a book off the low table and slide it into the full to bursting bookshelf before sitting down himself.

Ah, there was some life on the glass table. An empty teacup near the middle under a simple black coaster, a weapons pouch spilling out a few shuriken and a manila folder where she assumed the images to be hidden.

There was no other couch, so she just awkwardly sat on the same one he was on, albeit with a few cushions of space between the two.

He quietly opened the folder to reveal the images clipped to the corner neatly. "I went through them earlier, but I wanted your individual take before we put our heads together." He murmured before sliding the folder closing to her and standing.

 _'Oh good, so he wasn't purposefully excluding Naruto.'_

Now, the roseate noticed he wasn't in mission clothing, either. A simple loose black U neck shirt with sleeves that went to his elbows, tighter fitting gray sweats with black socks.

Sakura turned her attention away from him and to the folder, blushing lightly because she then realized he would look good in a _used trash bag_ effortlessly.

' **Maybe even _smell_ good.'**

' _That's a delusion and you know it.'_

"Would you like something to drink?"

Her teammate's mature voice had her turning her head to him bashfully. He was staring at her disinterestedly.

Sasuke didn't seem like the type to offer guests service.

Maybe that's his parent's leftover influence.

 **'Clearly, there still isn't enough for him _not_ to become a dictator in the next 10 or so years.'**

She tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear and turned her back to him. She was blushing again. "I-I'll just have water, t- _thank you_."

When his footsteps went faint, she focused on the task at hand. Unclipping the pictures, she spread them out across the low-table, getting onto her knees before them.

 _'There's got to be something all these images have in common.'_

Her hands ghosted across each one as she picked them up and examined them. It was like an extreme game of 'spot the difference'.

"Glass or bottle?" Sasuke's voice sounded from some faraway corner of the house. " _Bottle_!" Sakura answered. Though Sasuke's home is clean, she's not so sure about the order of his pipes.

 _Pipes_.

Looking closer at each of the images, she realized they each had the same arrangement of pipes in some place or another.

Konoha has always had a lot of open pipework lining the streets and it goes mostly ignored, but there was a similar cluster in every photo, even if it's barely visible.

She would have completely missed it if not for her doubt of Sasuke's own piping.

 **'Thanks, Sasuke, your trashy house helped us crack the case.'**

 _'That's only one hint; we can discuss it as a group.'_

"Sasuke! _I found something_!" She yelled, but kept looking through the images. She recognized all of these clans and places, due to her exposure and studies in the future, but not a lot of the people.

The clans were all either dead, mostly dead, unknown or filthy rich with notable characters. Clans like the Hatake and families like the Hōki were seen.

The weird thing was, the only clan whose members were taken natural pictures of were the Uchiha, and the rest were some sort of official document image.

All this knowledge made her throat dry. She needed water.

 **'Speaking of which...'**

"Sasuke-kun?" She whispered to herself, slowly getting up from her kneel and leaving the living room cautiously. It's been too long. Her hands ran across the walls as she slowly made her way to where she thought she heard Sasuke's voice coming from earlier.

Was he _**kidnapped**_?!

 _'Stop taking things too far.'_

Even so, she didn't realize her heart was nervously pounding against her ribcage till it calmed when she heard rustling in what she assumed was the kitchen, as it was the only room she's seen so far with a marble floor, everything else polished hardwood.

With a kind of quiet she's never thought possible with her old body, she peered through the open doorway of the kitchen. There had to be a good reason Sasuke was taking fifteen minutes to deliver a _bottle_.

His crest-emblazoned back was to her, and he was leaning against the white marble island in a tired sort of way, cradling something in his hands gently. It seemed to distract him so much he didn't hear her coming. Then again, she didn't hear her coming.

Her hands were shaking for some reason as she gripped the doorframe, and whatever Sasuke was looking down at seemed to be done holding his attention, because he dropped it onto the empty island with a small sigh, mumbling "staring doesn't change anything."

It was folded pink cloth.

He seemed to pick up something from the marble counter, something small and solid, and popped it into his mouth before grabbing a filled glass of water from the basin and sipping leisurely.

 **'A pill!'**

 _'A pill.'_

Oh, it was nothing important he was doing. Reflexively, she made a move to step backwards but the floor board creaked loudly in the silence.

Immediately, he turned and threw the folded cloth onto the ground behind the island where she couldn't see it and slammed a prescription bottle she hadn't noticed before into a drawer filled with more orange. She wasn't fast enough to read its label.

" _Who's there_?"

Sakura moved into view and threw her hands up in scared surrender. "It's just me! _Just me_." He was silently glaring at her, a silent demand to know why.

"I-it's just you were t-taking so long with the w- _water_ , and I-I needed the b- _bathroom_ , so I..."

He seemed to inwardly groan before reaching into the stainless steel fridge and tossing her the cold plastic bottle, and before the pinkette could stutter out an apology or thanks he grunted, "Keep going. Second door on the right."

Without words she continued down the long hallway, mentally cataloguing the house, and peering over her shoulder to see an Uchiha moving back into the living room with the rest of his water.

She ducked her head into the bathroom and figured she could hide out here for the next few minutes or so to seal the illusion. She sat on the covered toilet seat and fiddled with the cold water in her hands.

 _'Why would Sasuke need pills? Is he sick?'_

 **'I feel like it should be obvious, but nothing is coming to me. Us.'**

Sakura sighed deeply, tugging her cardigan closer to her body. It was kinda cold in here.

There was a loud bang, before " _Teme_! Open up, already!" Rang throughout the house.

Sakura sighed once more.


	15. fifteen

**Heya, everyone. I've finally gotten the newest chapter of —Restart— out! This whole picture thing will be important to the development of the story, so just bear with me while we take a small detour away from the plot line. So sorry it took so long, I had soccer camp, then a vacation, and was just busy and discouraged for a while. 'Cept my birthday.**

 **If anyone needs help with the stories they're writing, please, PM me. I'm always here.**

 **(Well I'm actually new here so remind me to check my PMs)**

 **SasuHina: 1**

 **NaruHina: 2**

 **ShikaIno: 3**

 **ShikaTema: 1**

 **NejiTen:**

 **KibaIno:**

 **KibaHina:**

 **GaaSaku: 0.5**

 _[Restart]_

 _"No, Sakura, do it again."_

 _"Again, and this time a little more emphasis with your lines."_

 _"You must follow the formula to the T. With this design, it's dexterity is singled out and weakened. You must distribute the strength equally, Sakura. Try again."_

 _She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, effectively ridding the beads of sweat threatening to fall on her delicate inking work that obviously wasn't good enough. Out of all of the training sessions she's been through, the Fourth Hokage's was the hardest in terms of actual skill._

 _She was still uncomfortable calling him Minato as he'd like her to. Somehow, she felt like she didn't deserve to be on a first-name basis with him._

 _She felt as if she wronged him in some way, and had an inkling as to why._

 _The sealing arts were hard. But unlike Jiraiya-sensei or Itachi-sensei's training, she had the upper hand in terms of intelligence._

 _For the nth time she dipped her nib carefully into the cartridge, meticulously preparing it for use with seamless, memorized movements. Since brushes were too scarce and expensive, calligraphy would be a decent substitute till she is required to draw out the final draft of her time-traveling seal._

 _Her ink-stained fingers began to run the pen over the cheaply made bamboo paper, remembering the tips and tricks Minato sprinkled on her mind as she worked._

 _No words were said for what seemed like forever, utter quiet in the small clearing the two were in aside from the occasional scrape of the pen against the slightly rough material._

 _As Sakura was working on the chakra capacity, she heard her teacher speak._

 _"...I'm sorry."_

 _The pinkette was taken aback; so much so her hand shook and a stray line skewed her work. She'd have to start over, again. "E-excuse me?"_

 _"It's all my fault. If I could have stayed with Naruto a little longer, maybe he would have been able to defeat Sasuke during their first clash."_

 _She set her pen down and moved to grab another paper. "No, Hokage-sama. It's me. I'm not strong enough; he couldn't put faith in me like he could Sasuke, and he still can't. I'm unreliable, and if I had put in more effort before it counted maybe the war would have ended years ago."_

 _The Hokage's black and blue eyes scanned her unfinished work quietly. "I don't believe the 5th Hokage's apprentice could be anything but powerful."_

 _"...Not powerful enough."_

 _No words were exchanged for a moment, before Minato finally pushed his bangs back and sighed. "You're not wrong." He said, awfully hiding the shrewd undertone._

 _It made Sakura smile, since for once someone decided to forgo the optimism and hit her with their true feelings. The negative emotions she knew everyone felt towards her. She could see it in their eyes._

 _They blamed her, and for good reason. She was a failure._

 _And it felt strangely good to know someone agreed with her, rather than pulling a Naruto and trying to change her view._

 _"Sakura, the way you began the chakra capacity makes a limit a bit to small for your size. Next time, add a little more space."_

 _"Yes, Hokage-sama."_

 _[Restart]_

 **—Restart—**

 _"family"_

 _[Restart]_

"Teme, open up already!"

 _'Guess we'll have to discuss my findings as a team.'_

Sakura thought as she left the bathroom and stepped into the hall, coming closer to the sound of shouting from the foyer.

"Woah, Teme, your house is _swanky!_ "

"Shut it, you idiot!"

"Oi, who are you calling an idiot, idiot?!"

Turning the corner she saw Naruto and Sasuke shouting at each other in front of the closed door, seeming a half second away from pulling at each other's collars.

Instead of his usual overly orange getup, Naruto was wearing a white tank with a ( _you guessed it_ ) orange Uzumaki clan symbol stamped onto it, a set of black joggers and his standard ninja sandals.

With a ratty old pillow tucked under his arm.

"What do you think this is, a sleepover?" The pinkette couldn't help but ask.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." The Uchiha snapped impatiently, not taking his eyes off the boy. "We're here to research, not party."

"It's not?" Naruto asked sheepishly, squinting and rubbing the back of his head. "Hehe, sorry about that! It's the bastard's fault for not being clear!"

Sakura sighed good-naturedly. "I found something in common with the pictures; come on." She told her teammates, walking into the living room and out of the entryway. They followed, arguing all the way.

" _Sit,_ sit," Sakura instructed, and soon they were all gathered in front of the scattered images, gazing at each of their them with curiosity.

"So," The Haruno started. "I got here a little before you, Naruto, and I found something in common with most of the photos." She said, ignoring Naruto's exclamation of betrayal. Pulling out a few landscape images she pointed to the clump of pipes in each one. "This area right here is in most of these landscape photos."

"How can you be so sure it's the same? Konoha's open piping all looks similar." Sasuke pointed out, head resting in his hand in a bored manner.

"It's because I also saw that there's a building near every photo." The pinkette said. "With further inspection, there's a little shack close to the bunch of pipes."

Naruto leaned in to get a better look at all the photos. "I've never seen that shack before, and I know this village like the front of my hand."

"You're supposed to say back," Sasuke corrected, pointedly looking at the stolen photos. "But I have seen this place before."

"Where? How?" Naruto and Sakura asked in unison. "Jinx!" The Jinchuuriki exclaimed, causing Sakura to giggle.

"This used to be one of the Uchiha Clan's weapons providers." He explained, ignoring the two.

"But it looks so... _so_..." Naruto struggled to find a word to describe the building.

"Run down, old, poor, I know." The Uchiha said. "These photos were taken twelve years ago, after the Kyuubi Attack. It looked much better the day before. The place was destroyed and barely standing, and it was decided to be torn down. It was only one of our smaller providers, so it wasn't much of a blow to the Clan."

"How do you know all of this, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, genuinely astonished.

 _'It never seemed that he cared much about the way his clan was run; only protecting its honor.'_

 **'We've never known much about Sasuke, I thought this was established already.'**

He was quiet for a moment, staring at the pictures thoughtlessly. He spoke in a murmur, eyes glazed, "...being the second son of the Clan Head, I was still required to learn about things like this. Photographic records were taken and stored for all wreckages, and...I had to look over all of them. This building isn't in the Compound, so I don't recall it's location."

 _'Wasn't he eight when his family died? Isn't that kind of young?'_

 **'This is a militaristic, conservative ninja-producing Clan we're talking about.'**

Naruto has been awfully quiet since hearing about the incident twelve years ago, but he still spoke. "At least now we know that building's old, 'ttebayo."

"That's true. So if we can find that area in the village once more, maybe we can get more information on what these pictures are all about." Sakura added.

 **'Hopefully Sasuke still has all of his Clan records; I don't really feel like relying on information from four years ago.'**

 _'Could it be ROOT's base of operations?'_

 **'Can't be. Last timeline, they weren't even in the village. It's unlikely they'd choose to hide in plain sight like that.'**

 _'But if it is, the chances of them getting spotted are nil since records say the building was torn down. But was it replaced, and who runs it?'_

 **'The replacement could be their new base, even more likely if the destroyed Uchiha building was their old base.'**

 _'Why would the Uchiha ever allow that? Maybe they didn't know, but that's extremely unlikely. Were they in on it?'_

 **'They were all killed since they were planning a coup, but that idea makes it seem as if Danzo knew about or planned the coup, if they were in cahoots of course, and killed them for no reason when he could have stopped them!'**

 _'Maybe this is another change in the timeline. This time, the Uchiha's might have been seeking out help from ROOT? Or maybe ROOT was seeking out them? Or maybe, traitors from within either side?'_

 _'What if you're just looking in too much?'_

 _'I was taught to look underneath the underneath!'_

 **'Yeah, not underneath the underneath the underneath.'**

"This is all so confusing!" Sakura exclaimed outwardly, running her fingers through her silky pink strands in aggravation. The two males on either side of her jumped when she screamed.

"Sakura-chan?!" Naruto cried, concerned. Sasuke looked thoroughly surprised to hear her outburst but didn't react at all other than that.

 _'Shoot.'_

 **'Idiot!'**

The pinkette sheepishly removed her hands from her head, hiding from within her ash gray cardigan in embarrassment. " _Hehe_ , sorry about that... I'm just frustrated."

Sasuke paid her no mind. "Dobe, do you recognize the general area?" Sasuke said, picking up one of the angle images of the building and holding in front of Naruto's face. Instead of insulting Sasuke he shook his head no. "I don't recognize any of it."

"Sasuke-kun, if you had to study Clan records, wouldn't you know if the buildings near the weapons shop had also been torn down?" Sakura asked the Uchiha.

His brows furrowed in frustration. "At the time, I was only studying the records that directly affected the Clan, so we'd have to go through all of the records to see if those buildings were torn down or refurbished."

No one had time for that. "N-Naruto, do you recognize _anything_ from these photos? Anything at _all_?!" The Haruno pleaded, desperation lacing her voice.

 **'I don't wanna go through a bunch of dusty files!'**

 _'It's too time-consuming, but we can't move on without that information!'_

The Uzumaki stared hard at each of them for her sake, but eventually just looked at her apologetically and said no. It wasn't his fault; after the Kyuubi Attack, the whole village was probably updated. "Why don't we put that lead to the side for now, and find a different one?" He suggested.

"Actually, you're right," Sakura said, face stony. "Why would photos from twelve years ago be cooped up in an old man's house? In _Wave,_ of all places..."

"That's true." Sasuke agreed. "These records are only in a few places in the village, the Hokage's Library and the larger Clan Compounds, all of which were heavily guarded. And only the Hokage himself has every single record in the village."

"Really now?" Naruto said. "So instead of going through Teme's files, let's just go through the Old Man's."

 _'Not a half bad idea, but too many unknown variables.'_

 **'Nah, just sounds asinine to me.'**

"No way, _idiot!_ " The rude title slipped from her lips like water, but it felt good to say. "Only the Council, Clan Heads, ANBU Captains and the Third himself have access to that room! It's guarded 24/7 by high ranked ninja and _no one_ knows where it is! Plus, there's no way Lord Hokage would allow any Genin in there, even with his soft spot for you! You got lucky once, Naruto, and it won't happen again."

Her rant was exaggerated in some areas, but she had to scare some sense into him. She didn't tell him that the only reason he wasn't dead was because he apprehended Mizuki in the act of betraying the village, because he hasn't told her anything of the incident. _Yet_.

Sneaking into the Hokage's _anything_ without permission was a recipe for disaster. It was a crime punishable by death no matter your last name, rank, wealth, spouse, connections, etc. if you didn't have legal access and/or an escort, which only those with legal access have.

In the Second's time, it used to be public execution, making an example out of those who dared to disobey. The only severely barbaric thing all citizens willingly allowed to happen in the ' _friendly village_ '. It was stopped by the renowned bleeding heart of the Third Hokage.

And either way, since the Hokage has every single record in the village ever known, from a top-secret assignment to the bulk purchase of ramen noodles from Ichiraku, it would have been much more of a chore to go through than Sasuke's library, which is probably filled with things concerning the Uchiha and little else.

Of course, she recited all of this to Naruto and Sasuke and was satisfied as she saw the idea fade with the color in their faces.

 **'Good. Those two working together is always a problem for us.'**

 _'That'd sound pretty incriminating in another context.'_

"We have no choice but to use Sasuke-kun's records if that lead will continue." The pinkette declares with finality, as the boys on either side of her deflated.

Sasuke's eyes snapped up to the expensive clock on the wall. "It's late," he announced.

"Oh well!" Naruto sighed, but he seemed way too eager to leave, as he was already slipping his shoes back on in the foyer. "Maybe another time-"

"Let's meet back here tomorrow to go through the files!"

"Hn. Sure."

"W- _Wait_ , dattebayo!"

"Sakura." Sasuke turned to her as she got up from the low table. "Maybe we can get out of training by 1400, and use the three hours before Kakashi gets there tomorrow to start searching."

She nodded. "That's fine. Naruto agrees, too."

 _"No, I don't!"_

Came the indignant yell from the hallway.

"Stop complaining!" Sasuke yelled back at him as he padded out of the room casually.

Sakura slipped her bottled water out of her large jacket pocket, screwed off the top and took a large swig. This 'playful' banter of theirs always reminded her of simpler times, carefree times.

Before she knew it, the bottle was empty but she still had a craving. Speedwalking out of the living room, she followed the sound of shouting. "Sasuke-kun! May I have another bottle of-"

Her words were cut off by an inhuman, high pitched, loud siren that wailed throughout the house, causing her to jam her palms against her ears and sink to the floor in agony.

 **'What's the dealio?!'**

Naruto and Sasuke stumbled into the room themselves, grimacing with their ears covered. They dropped to the floor also, teeth grinding.

The horrible sound went on for at least another minute before it was cut off abruptly and the three of them each partook in a sigh of relief. It was still ringing in her ears.

There was a crackle of static before a pre-recorded message started playing throughout the village, one that they heard the day of graduation.

 ** _"ATTENTION. AN IMPORTANT ITEM HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM THE HOKAGE TOWER. I REPEAT, AN IMPORTANT ITEM HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM THE HOKAGE TOWER. KONOHAGAKURE IS ON LOCKDOWN FOR THE NEXT TWENTY-FOUR HOURS. NO ONE MUST LEAVE THE BUILDINGS THEY ARE IN AND EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE EVACUATED TO THEIR HOMES IN THE NEXT TWENTY MINUTES. FAILURE TO OBEY THESE RULES WILL RESULT IN CAPTURE AND INTERROGATION. ALL JOUNIN AND ANBU RANKS WILL BE EXPECTED IN THE MISSIONS ROOM. BY THE TIME THIS MESSAGE ENDS, BARRIERS WOULD HAVE BEEN APPLIED TO THE GATES AND EVERY COMPOUND AND BUILDING, ALLOWING ENTER BUT NOT ESCAPE. PLEASE ABIDE BY THE RULES GIVEN TO YOU TILL FURTHER NOTICE. THANK YOU."_**

The same message began playing in some other language, and that's when the group decided to talk.

"Stolen?" The Uchiha muttered. He then spoke up so his teammates could hear. "How could it have been just...stolen?"

"Hmph, if some criminal can get off with an ' _important item_ ', I don't think it'd be so hard to do that, too, 'ttebayo." Naruto was unimpressed and looking at Sakura pointedly. Sasuke also looked rather dubious.

"I-I..." Sakura didn't know what to say. Her earlier statement was now redundant in the eyes of her teammates. Such bad timing. "Y-You don't know that they're a kid like us! Something was stolen from under our leader's nose, you should be more worried it wasn't some...m-mass genocide technique, or something! What if they're after an important figure, l-like a heir? We could be in serious danger!"

There was a tense silence between the three after that, especially around Sasuke and Naruto.

 **'Naruto's the technique and Sasuke's the heir?'**

 _'I'm aware of what I said, Inner.'_

"...The latest we'll be allowed to leave tomorrow would be 7:00, but that's only if they don't end the lockdown early," Sakura informed the two. "Now, we'll have enough time to look through the records in Sasuke-kun's house."

Naruto cursed under his breath, and Sasuke turned to him disapprovingly. "I-I mean it sounds fun, 'ttebayo!" He hurried to correct himself. The Haruno sighed at his idiocy. He sure recovered quickly.

Sasuke didn't say anything though, turning away from Naruto and pursing his lips, glaring at the floor.

 _[Restart]_

All was quiet until Naruto sneezed quite loudly. Sakura eyed him quietly as a shudder wracked through his body and dust flew up into the air. "Jeez luweez, Teme, you need to clean your house a little more! This place is _ancient_!" He admonished cheekily, rubbing at his nose.

"Naruto, you can't decide to look through the oldest pile and insult Sasuke-kun like that after you sneeze a little." Sakura defended her Uchiha teammate as she slid yet another scroll back into its holding, which has been cleaned thoroughly. It didn't hold any information on the building nor its neighbors.

 **'Isn't it weird how we all have a little voice in our heads?'**

 _'Yeah. It doesn't shut up.'_

Sasuke didn't say anything, too engrossed in his newest record of past fights.

The three have been in the Uchiha Library for what seemed like forever, looking for any record of the old establishment. So far they haven't found anything, but that may be due to the fact that Naruto keeps looking for picture books and isn't really reading any others, and Sasuke keeps getting distracted with old war stories he 'stumbles' upon.

Sakura is the only one actively looking for the correct records, but even she isn't focused, thanks to her talkative Inner.

 **'It's sort of chilly in here. Take off your coverup.'**

 _'Now, why would I do that?'_

Sasuke put back his current book and took out another, running his fingers along the smooth paper. "Hn. Did you two find anything yet?" he yelled to the other side of the large library.

Sakura dumped a pile of scrolls and books onto a study table and sat in front of the pile. "We'll see, " she amended.

"Uh, no," Naruto said sheepishly, removing himself from the pile of dusty literature. "In my defense, this place is huge, dattebayo."

"Someone like Hinata-" or Neji, but Naruto and Sasuke don't know him yet, "-would be better for this kind of job..." the pinkette grumbled absentmindedly, flipping through her latest book.

That seemed to catch Naruto's attention because he set down the scroll he was eyeing. "Hinata? That weird, dark girl that never looks at me? What about her?" he asked, genuinely confused.

It was hard to forget Naruto was a professional idiot. Oh so very oblivious. She rolled her eyes playfully before responding proudly, "Hinata is a Hyūga, and they have very special eyes that can see from long distances and through objects." The Hinata of her time was much more mature, much more sturdy and strong. Someone to be an amazing leader someday.

Naruto was gawking at that. "That's so cool! Maybe she could help me with my pranks- _uh_ , projects, I meant!" the Uzumaki hurried to correct himself when his female teammate brought up a threatening fist. Hinata of this time would probably do anything the boy says, and that was dangerous.

"You should talk to her sometime. She'd be a great ally, but keep her away from your little schemes, _got it_?"

"Loud and clear!"

Sasuke loudly shut the thin hardcover book he was holding with one hand, and dust and other particles wafted around him like smoke. "I've got it." Simple, and straightforward but his teammates were overly happy.

They gathered around the study table Sasuke was at and quieted as he explained. "This book is one of the many records taken after the Kyuubi Attack, specifically for retail establishments." He began.

"So, there's a part telling us about that weapons shop's destruction?" Sakura inquired, standing behind Sasuke but still leaning over drastically to get a look at the volume; so much so her pink hair spilled off of her shoulder into the Uchiha's field of vision, who impatiently batted the locks away.

"Not exactly." Pushing the rest of Sakura's hair behind him and scooting his chair closer to the spruce table, the avenger flipped through the pages casually before stopping on one of the pictures, a Before/After diagram. "I don't recognize all of these shops, but I know that this building," he pointed towards the third to the right in the row, "-was the old shop, before reconstruction."

He was right, it was pristine. Compared to the After picture next to it, the place was a palace.

The pinkette didn't lean any farther in, her green eyes roaming the page. As the Hokage's apprentice Sakura had to look over some of her records when Tsunade was either busy, lazy, or drunk. Most of which came from the Missions Desk. Luckily she was versed in the history of things like this, thanks to her Reanimation studies.

"Oh, I see it now!" Sakura put on an impressive act. "This place used to be on...Oak Street, wasn't it? It's not too far from here." She had to look over the old and yellowing blueprints of the refurbishing plans for the village after the Attack, edifice by edifice and complex by complex due to her pre-time travel studies. The zoomed in picture from before wasn't very helpful considering she had a cover to uphold, but this one, with lots of background and plenty space for the whole row of buildings to be seen, was plenty useful.

"How do you know that? You didn't seem to recognize it earlier." Naruto asked her curiously, blond eyebrows raising.

"You know I like to read a lot, and the Hokage makes some records available to the public for several reasons. In this case, for civilian construction workers. I've never seen that complex before, but the general area around it hasn't changed. And there's no way I'd recognize a charred old building that was destroyed before I could even go outside. Don't you see, Naruto?"

He stared at the photos for a moment longer before his eyes sparkled with mirth. "I remember now! I set a bunch of stink bombs around the playgrounds of this area! Good times, dattebayo..."

He narrowly dodged the thoughtless punch Sakura sent his way.

"Do you think it'd be rebuilt on the same street, Sasuke-kun?"

"I'd imagine the village was just revamped, considering it was a bit of a tough time to start making big changes. And I've never read anything about relocation, at least to my memory."

"All right then! Tomorrow we'll go and check it out, so for now let's stop reading these boring books and eat!"

The Haruno stuffed her cold hands into her jacket pockets. "I've got to agree with Naruto on this one. I just slipped home and changed, didn't even talk to my parents. If you're willing to feed us, Sasuke-kun?" She cocked her head to the side questioningly.

"... _fine_." He murmured, silently closing his book and standing without looking at either of them.

"Let's eat!" the Uzumaki yelled excitedly, running out of the large room. Sakura glanced at his retreating form and smiled fondly before making to follow.

"Sakura."

Sakura turned her head to see Sasuke in front of one of the bookshelves, looking down at the text in his hands with long black bangs covering his eyes.

There was a moment of silence, before Sasuke lifted his head and slid the book into its correct place, smoothing back his bangs with his other hand with a neutral expression . "...you should prioritize your family more than you do." Then, he just...walked out.

Sakura was quiet as she mulled over his words. He scolded her. In hindsight, what she said was probably insensitive and ignorant in Sasuke's eyes, considering he had lost his family to family. Hopefully that didn't alter his view on her, after all the work she did to make him treat her like a person.

Not yet an equal or someone respected, or even a _girl_ , but it was something.

She sighed deeply and pushed her bangs back in frustration. She needs to watch her words around Sasuke, she always has.

After inwardly reminding herself to be more cautious, Sakura walked out of the suddenly eerie library, cardigan wrapped tightly around her form.

 _[Restart]_

When she first entered, the mansion seemed cold and lonely, barren. But now, as she listened to the homey ruckus from afar the walls seemed to warm around her.

Padding out of the library, through the study, into the living room and down the hallway before finally reaching the kitchen she wondered how Naruto was able to find it himself.

As she neared, the sounds became louder and clearer. "It's all so _shiny_!"

"Hn. Don't touch _anything_ , got it?"

"Okay, but I've been told I'm a messy eater, 'ttebayo!"

The pinkette winced slightly at the cold tiled floor when she entered the kitchen. Automatically, her eyes zeroed in on the stainless steel drawer Sasuke shoved the pills in earlier this night. She forced her eyes to leave it when he glanced at her. "Hey, you two. What's for dinner?" she asked.

"Let's find out!" Naruto exclaimed eagerly, pulling open the large fridge doors and letting out a blast of cold air. Sasuke and Sakura shared a worried glance when he immediately sobered.

Suddenly he slowly turned to them, face serious.

"...there's like, nothing in here."

Sakura was unimpressed as she also stepped up to the fridge, scanning the scarce items. "What were you expecting, Naruto?" She asked in a soft tone.

 _"It's huge!"_

"It's feeding _one_!"

"Still! What is this... this bric-a-brac!?"

Sasuke pushed past both of them, one rougher than the other, and began pulling a few things from several parts of the machine. "You're the ones who wanted me to feed you, do what you want with what you were given."

" _Okay_ , okay." Sakura held Naruto from lashing out at the calm Uchiha. "I think I can whip something up with this."

She had always lived with her parents who cooked the majority of her meals and whenever that didn't happen she would snack, and during the war there was mostly instant food and quick protein packs or soldier pills before it took a grim turn, so Sakura isn't really aware of her skill in the kitchen but she's sure that with a bit of ' _help_ ' ( _watching Sasuke_ ) and common sense she can make something edible at the very least.

Naruto began to cheer as she confidently grabbed odds and ends from the refrigerator and set them out on the counter parallel to where Sasuke was preparing his own meal, Naruto sitting at the island in the middle of both areas expectantly.

The most frequent food were tomatoes, _obviously_ , followed by tuna and bags of rice were in the cabinet. Everything else was mostly fruits and veggies, or things that can be cooked with or go well with tomatoes, tuna, and rice balls.

 **'That's seriously strange. He needs a little variety.'**

 _'It's not our place to correct Sasuke. Besides, he's eating healthily.'_

It took a lot of peeking over at the way Sasuke was doing things, rummaging around for utensils and seasoning, and serious trial and error before she was able to set two decent meals of tomato and egg stir-fry.

Sasuke was already enjoying his meal by the time she finished and seemed to derive amusement watching Naruto struggle not to drool at the delectable and well balanced pork and pepper meal with a small plate of professionally sliced tomatoes, garnished with a bit of nuts and black pepper. Where the ingredients came from, Sakura didn't know.

His meal was practically glowing, along with his face as he ate quietly.

Feeling a sudden insecurity she set Naruto's meal down in front of him, and he sighed in relief for a reason she was not sure of.

Instead of telling him "You're welcome" or "Enjoy" she greeted him with a somber "Good luck. If you need to mask the taste I found salt works best." When she was studying to go back in time, cooking was not a part of the curriculum.

His face fell at her words and she sat down next to him quietly. She stared at the below average meal for one more second, before clasping her hands together in a quick show of thanks before piling in a sizable amount.

As she looked into space while chewing, she noticed Sasuke and Naruto watching her, most likely for a reaction.

It was a bit bland, the egg was still kind of runny and the tomatoes didn't taste all that good, but it was a meal.

Soon she swallowed. "...it's not horrible, but like I said with some salt it should taste better." The Uzumaki rejoiced and dumped some on before digging in.

Sakura was salting her own food when she saw Sasuke take his own fork and subtract from Naruto's. The boy didn't notice, too busy scarfing down the lackluster meal.

The Haruno watched as the Uchiha chewed quietly on the food she made, nervous. "...h-...how is it?"

"Hn...work on the eggs longer next time, and grease the pan more so it won't stick. If you want flavor put salt into the egg mixture, but not too much. Adding veggies could also work."

He went on to give her tips and correct her technique, and Naruto gawked at him. " _Woah_ , someone knows his stuff!"

"I bought a cook book." His answer was simple yet concise. "And you clearly _don't_ , if you can't even make a simple meal, dobe."

"What'd you say, _teme_?!"

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun!"

 _[Restart]_

Sakura shifted in her futon, tucking the thick woolen blanket covering her under her arm. "Hey, Naruto? You still awake?"

His eyes screwed shut and he shifted, too. "Mm?"

As the three had no choice but to have a sleepover, Sasuke had prepared two futons, pillows and blankets for his teammates and set them up on the living room floor.

Naruto was whiny and demanded Sasuke sleep with them over a Rock-Paper-Scissors match, to which the Uzumaki miraculously won.

Sakura was forced to sleep in the middle of the two, like she always did in their time. It was dark and there was the occasional sound of a ninja from outside, but it was otherwise quiet. Instead of watching Sasuke's peaceful face she decided to take her mind off him for once.

She couldn't rest; a sleepover with Sasuke and Naruto made her heart race with giddy excitement. This all felt like a sad dream. Being back here, with them, still felt so unreal. it made her want to cry for reasons unknown. "Do you think that... _this_ will last?"

He yawned quietly and his eyes peered at her tiredly. They still shone bright cerulean. "Will what last, Sakura-chan?"

"This. The friendship we have."

In all his grogginess, he rolled his eyes. "Of _course_ it will, Sakura-chan. I'll keep my family together no matter what."

"Through any obstacle? We'll still be together?"

"Mmhmm. Through thick and thicker, we won't give up on each other."

The Haruno smiled at the boy, feeling tiredness take her. "Thank you, Naruto."

 _"No. Thank you for being my family, Sakura-chan."_


	16. sixteen

_[Restart]_

 **Guess who forgot this was a SasuSaku romance?! Don't worry, I'll start adding in more scenes.**

 **Uh, next chapter of —Restart— is here now. It took a week longer than it should have, and because of that I'm pissed. Other than that I'm happy that it was a month earlier than the last chapter. So...yeah. Hope you enjoy, as always, and give me some feedback please!**

 **And also, can someone teach me how to do the line breaks for each separation in my chapters? I've tried but it's not working.**

 **SasuHina:1**

 **NaruHina:3**

 **ShikaIno:3**

 **ShikaTema:1**

 **NejiTen:**

 **KIbaIno**

 **KibaHina:**

 **GaaSaku:1.5**

 _[Restart]_

 _It was hot. Too hot._

 _Her heeled boots pushed gravel into the ground as she stumbled into a sprint across it, fervently avoiding oil spills lighting into flames._

 _There were screams and cries for help behind her, but she couldn't do it. There were too many, and this was her mission._

 _In and out, they said. In and out._

 _Her breath hitched as she felt ash mold with oxygen in her lungs, and she desperately tried to cough it out, hacking as she ran away from the disaster all around her._

 _Burning buildings were collapsing on children, adults were getting severely singed and the fire lapped at her ankles, destroying everything in its path._

 _She rammed into a barrel that vibrated as it fell, soaking her in thick black liquid. But she didn't stop running. She didn't stop running away from the fire in the town._

 _The fire that she created._

 _Sakura pushed her smoking collar up against her nose and mouth, holding it with her chin as she fiddled with the old, scratched up lighter in her gloved hands. She could hear the angry and scared villagers running after her, quickly closing the distance._

 _Revenge._

 _Frantically she clicked at the metal cam, hoping and hoping that a spark would quickly burn alive._

 _Her ride out of this hell hole still wasn't here yet; she would have to buy time._

 _In and out. In and out._

 _Finally, fire existed on the eyelet and the pinkette spun a 180, facing her followers and kicked open a barrel she knew was full of gasoline, only sparing a second to watch its contents infect the floor._

 _Without hesitation she threw down the lighter, and without hesitation the fire roared, grew loathing and strong, erupting with a mighty force._

 _Instantly the villagers were severely burned by their futile attempts to pass through the lethal barrier Sakura had made._

 _Didn't anyone teach them not to play with fire?_

 _Hurriedly, she ran into one of the nearby buildings and hid. Her breathing quickened and moisture formed in her lower eyelids. She could still hear their screams of anguish from outside, their cries for help from higher powers._

 _Tears dripped from her eyes, but she wiped them quickly as she made her way to the top of the charred building, skillfully avoiding any burst of pyro._

 _A nameless shinobi with all skin and shape covered was waiting for her on the rooftop, seated on a large winged summon that resembled no animal she had seen before. They didn't make any indication that they saw her, broken and burned, but they did climb onto the creature and waited for her to do the same._

 _They rode in silence for a short while, till all they could see of Sakura's last mission were plumes of smoke and ash rising from the debris._

 _Finally, they spoke. "You completed your mission without complication?" The voice was distinctly female, however gruff._

 _"Yes," she replied quietly. Dismissively._

 _"They should've known that if you played with fire, you get burnt," they replied._

 _Sakura closed her eyes and sighed quietly._

 _In and out. In and out._

 **—Restart—**

 _"discoveries"_

Sakura tapped on the windowsill quietly for the nth time. The sun had finally risen from the east, and the euphonious chirrups from the early birds occasionally bit through the silence. The pinkette had been awake for at least an hour by now.

She had become a light sleeper quickly when she began to take her training seriously, and old habits die hard. Naruto was a shifty sleeper, and the first time he woke her with his movements very early she just stared at Sasuke's sleeping form for a while. As always, he was handsome.

But when Naruto's hand essentially slapped her behind that was when she decided to get out from between the two. Let Sasuke deal with the dumbo's gymnastics for a while.

The sun was up now, and the boys were due to stir soon unless they were heavy sleepers. The euphoria from having her first ever team sleepover-regardless of it being forced-being a success had long since died down.

 **'It's not like there's anything to wake up for. We're stuck in this house, on this property for the rest of the day.'**

 _'Right.'_

There _was_ nothing to do, and she was determined to do nothing without Sasuke's explicit permission. She was sure everything in here was a memory of some sort and wouldn't be touching any of it. Instead, she decided to pull up a stool at the window, open the curtains and watch the sunrise paint the sky many a color while mulling over what to do next in this time-travel adventure of hers.

So far, team-building is going well, especially with Naruto. Now it's time to get Sasuke to warm up to her, since he's willing to train with her at any time.

 _'If whatever was stolen was important, then it might interfere with some important event in the future, or trigger something bad to happen. We should be on the lookout.'_

 **'The real question is, who stole it and why?'**

 _'Even so, that's none of our concern at the moment.'_

 **'But what if it is?'**

 _'Then I'll personally eradicate the issue. But for now, the entire village is on house arrest and that's what we should be worrying about. We're pretty unlucky since we're here instead of at home. Moving on, please?'_

Sakura cocooned herself in her smoky gray cardigan. It was awfully cold for a summer morning.

 **'If you say so. Since we're here, we should start training with Sasuke and Naruto outside of Kakashi's influence and begin making connections with the rest of Konoha 12.'**

 _'Starting small. I guess today will be a training day.'_

The Haruno's stomach began to fuss, discomfiting her. Slipping off the stool and onto the cold hardwood floor, she padded her way into the kitchen to ease herself with water. On the way, her every footstep echoed in the overall silence, and the floorboards got colder as she made it closer. Soon, she began to drag her feet, as the black weights were harder to deal with in the morning. She needs to start running again.

 **'But Sasuke wasn't planning on including Naruto in our training.'**

 _'Look, we're a team. It's all or nothing, I'll get Naruto to join us one way or another.'_

Sakura decided to refrain from using Sasuke's glasses and took a bottle from the fridge and set it down on the counter. As she did so, her hand loosely grazed a drawer knob and coaxed it slightly open.

From what she could see, it was full of prescription bottles. From the angle she was at, she couldn't clearly read a single label. She frowned.

 _'Sasuke took one of these pills yesterday. Why are there so many? Medicine drawer, maybe?'_

 **'He didn't look sick.'**

Instinctively Sakura made to open it further, but hesitated. Her pale hand hovered over the knob.

 _'We said we wouldn't touch anything.'_

 **' _You_ said you wouldn't touch anything. It's just a medicine cabinet, remember?'**

 _'And if it's_ not _, and we find out something we aren't meant to?'_

 **'We came back in time to change everything, down to the tiniest detail. Nothing should be hidden to us.'**

 _'What if Sasuke finds out we touched something? That could ruin any relationship we have.'_

 **'We'll just use the excuse of being the medic on the team.'**

With each of her points refuted by Inner, Sakura neared the pills cautiously. But somewhere inside herself, she felt like she shouldn't touch it. Still she hovered.

 _'I_ really _don't think we should.'_

 _ **'For once in your life why don't you acknowledge your problems and open the dang drawer, hm?'**_

 _'I don't want to ruin anything I built with Sasuke...'_

Despite her uneasiness, she gripped the knob and opened it further.

"Sakura?"

Her eyes snapped to the sound of the voice, and she saw Sasuke staring at her curiously from the entryway, eyes sharp.

 _[Restart]_

Before her heart had the chance to stop, she realized her instincts had saved her, as the drawer was closed and she was 'casually' guzzling bottled water.

 **'You're welcome.'**

 _'You're at fault!'_

She set the bottle down and twisted on the cap, then gave him her full attention. She gave him one of her best fake smiles and tried to ignore the guilty, fearful cramping in her stomach. "...good morning, Sasuke-kun."

His emotions seemed to be less controlled in the mornings, as he raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement and poured himself some sort of red juice from the fridge. Eve so, he still looked strangely on edge.

 **'Maybe Naruto poked him like he did us.'**

 _'Oh, so now we're us?'_

The silence wasn't companionable, but it wasn't awkward, either. The roseate decided she'd rather have awkward than this strange gray area. "When'd you wake up?" She said, at an attempt of small talk.

Surprisingly, the Uchiha obliged. "Just now. Dobe's still asleep and you're still here, so I assume the lockdown is still in session."

"Mm. Should we continue with our investigation?"

Sasuke took a moment to indulge in his drink before answering, glancing at her. "Somehow, I doubt we'll find any more leads till we investigate the area."

Inwardly, Sakura was smiling widely. Talking with Sasuke became easier with each passing day. The knot in her stomach unwound itself.

"...I was thinking we could use the day to train." She addressed the elephant in the room.

"...with Naruto?" Sasuke said, for once addressing him by name. He looked back down at his beverage.

"Well, I don't see why not. We could all teach each other something."

"...at this rate, he'll _never_ improve."

He mumbled his words, but Sakura's keen ears picked it up either way. Still, she feigned ignorance. "What was that?"

"I'll train with you, but not with him."

The pinkette's lips tightened, and she sat in front of the stubborn Uchiha. He didn't look at her, eyes focused on his drink and suddenly the atmosphere wasn't so comfortable.

She was careful to keep her tone even. "Sasuke-kun, I thought you were on good terms with Naruto."

"Even if I were, it's nothing to you. He can train on his own."

"He needs guidance. We're a team, Sasuke-kun. Could you at least try to be fair?"

Sasuke sucked on his teeth. "Look who's talking. Maybe if you'd stop drilling that point to me and start practicing what you preach, _we'd_ be more cohesive and _you'd_ stop asking for the impossible."

The Haruno was stunned into temporarily silence. "...but I'm not asking for the _impossible!_ If we could just-"

"-I'm not about to hear advice about this from a hypocrite. _Drop it_."

 _'Hypocrite?'_

 **'He's got quite the tongue there.'**

Sakura didn't say anything more, because she wasn't sure what to say. The two sat in frustrated silence.

 _'If Sasuke would stop being so arrogant, maybe we could be a little closer. Why must he continue to keep us apart like this?'_

 **'...I'm not so sure it's just him anymore.'**

 _'What are you suggesting?'_

 **'Don't be a dolt, you know exactly what I'm saying.'**

 _'I didn't do anything, okay?'_

It's as if every time the team seems closer someone has to disrupt it...she sighed through her nose, quite tired of the cycle.

There was quick padding of feet on the floor that got louder as it got closer. Soon, an orange blur flew past the kitchen, screaming "-pee! Gotta pee! Gotta _pee_!"

"Good morning to you, too, Naruto," the pink-haired girl mumbled. She rubbed her eyes, vexed.

 _[Restart]_

Sasuke's passive aggressive behavior is unsurpassed. She couldn't tell if he was still angry since he always seemed to be pissed off.

Turns out, the Uchiha manor as a whole was surrounded by a barrier, so the training field connected to the home was reachable and that's where the three found themselves after breakfast. _Arguing._

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined. "You taught teme how to walk on water but didn't teach _me?! That's not fair!"_

The boy in question rolled his eyes, standing casually on the pond the clearing had and waiting for Sakura to join him for a spar. The girl noticed that while he was slouching, he was careful not to move if he didn't have to. He's still wobbly when not in action, it seems. "She's not _fair._ You wouldn't have been able to do it, anyway."

"Why, you..!"

"Naruto," Sakura attempted to console, "Sasuke-kun is...h-he finished his chakra exercises before you, and asked me to give him more to learn. I showed him my _theory,_ and _he_ worked on it."

"You were going to say he's _better_ , weren't you?"

"...He picks things up a little faster, sure!"

"But still! You only ever taught me what I've already learned!"

"If she had to teach you, then you didn't _learn_ , dobe. Sakura, _hurry up_."

"Sasuke-kun, wait. Naruto, I-"

"Shut up, _bastard_! Sakura-chan, teach me something _usefu_ l!"

"But-"

"Sakura."

"Sakura-chan!"

 _"Stop, just stop!"_

For a moment, the only thing heard was the wind shifting the grass. "Naruto, if you don't perfect the techniques Sasuke learned I won't teach you to walk on water, alright? Baby steps."

Sasuke scoffed loudly, but Sakura paid it no mind, continuing. "And you, Sasuke-kun. Maybe you could help Naruto with his control exercises? We could spar afterward."

The Uchiha was unimpressed. "Or, we could spar now and _you_ could help him later. I'm sure he can flop around for a while."

Suddenly, Naruto charged for Sasuke at full speed with a fierce battlecry, knocking Sakura to the ground before she could hold him back. Sasuke, being in the middle of the pond, wasn't in Naruto's reach, who fell in immediately.

The Haruno sighed, getting back up and dusting herself off.

 _'What happened last night to make them act like this to each other?'_

 **'The root of the issue stretches farther than just last night. Even after your argument, Sasuke is still being kind of civil to you, and so is Naruto. But around each other is a different story.'**

 _'I see.'_

Sakura ran her hands through her hair, frustrated. It seems she spent so long working on their teamwork with _her_ , she neglected the fact that _they've_ only worked cohesively once. That would need to be fixed.

As the sounds from Naruto's dive died down, the sound of a doorbell ringing from inside the house was faintly heard.

Sakura moved to go inside. "I've-"

"- _I've_ got it," Sasuke interrupted, grumbling as he pushed past her shoulder and stepped onto the veranda without another sound.

The Haruno didn't realize she clenched her fist until she unclenched it numbly. She heard Naruto resurface and start shouting expletives from behind her.

 _'I have so many things to worry about. My Yin Seal, the Chūnin Exams, the Akatsuki, training, Orochimaru, Itachi, Danzo and Sai, Tsunade and Jiraiya, all of which I have done nothing about, and_ this _is what I'm being held up on?!'_

 **''Baby steps', remember? _ha!_ Anyway, don't get your panties in a twist! They're probably just not morning people; they'll be easier to deal with as the day passes.'**

 _'Okay...baby steps. Baby steps. Deal with this first, then move on to something more important.'_

"Naruto, get out of there and start your exercises."

"But Sakura- _chan_ ~!"

 _[Restart]_

He rubbed at the weights on his wrists, considering taking them off for a moment to make sure they wouldn't chafe.

 _'No. Then Sakura wouldn't be the only hypocrite.'_

Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek when she entered his mind. He had to admit she was making progress, physically and mentally, and if one considered how she acted back in the Academy she would be improving by leaps and bounds. He was no longer wary of her, and somehow felt more comfortable that he didn't have to be.

But what he couldn't figure out was why she didn't tell him that she was training on her own. It would have made her slightly more bearable, especially since she was looking for his attention. Either way, she's been useful to him as of late. Hopefully that didn't change for a while; she was the most intelligent on their team.

But there was _one_ problem, and he soured slightly just thinking about it.

He took his time taking the familiar path to the entryway, internally preparing himself to keep conversation to a minimum with whoever was on the other side of the partition.

When the Uchiha finally reached the foyer, he wasted no time in pulling open the door. His eyebrows rose on their own, unbidden. "Sensei..?"

The sketchy-looking masked man waved in a friendly way. "When'd you start calling me _sensei?_ I like it."

" _Kakashi_ , what do you want?"

"Not even going to invite me in?"

Sasuke stared at him for a moment with narrowed eyes for his utter idiocy, before slowly moving to the side to allow him in. The annoyances just keep coming...

Before Sasuke dragged himself to the living room, Kakashi was already sprawled on his favorite couch, the one closest to the window that always got just the right lighting at every angle.

He didn't need to make himself _that_ comfortable.

He asked again. "Kakashi, what do you want?"

"I'd like a glass."

 _"No. Why are you here."_

His teacher sighed, folding his gloved hands behind his head. "While civilians are still supposed to be in their homes, all official ninja are now allowed back out, not just Jounin and above. It wasn't broadcasted for security reasons.

"I was told to come and notify my Genin, but Naruto wasn't at his apartment, and when I visited Sakura's her mother was worried sick since she wasn't there. This is my last stop; have you seen them?"

The Uchiha's mouth opened to answer, before a loud splash and an even louder crash rang from the training grounds. Both males looked towards the sound.

"...they're here." Sasuke said belatedly, inwardly hoping there were no damages.

They were never entering this house again.

 _[Restart]_

Once again, the leaf was hollowed and shot into the air.

"No, no _no_!" Sakura groaned, frustrated. " _Lightly!_ Coat your finger with chakra, and let it slowly- no! Not like _that_!"

Why was this boy so hard to teach? Or maybe she just wasn't the best with instructions? Once again, someone with a delicate touch ( _or bias_ ) like Hinata would be perfect in this situation!

 **'Don't go passing on your job to others!'**

 _'Who says this is part of the job description?'_

 **'Cha! You said yourself that you'd take yours and Naruto's training into your own hands!'**

 _'Don't put words in my mouth!'_

 **'You're surprisingly weak-willed for someone on a time travel assignment.'**

 _'Oh, can it. I'm sure I can find someone to do this in my stead.'_

 **'If you do, then Naruto won't be so close to the team!'**

 _'That's what team training sessions are for. The boy is unteachable.'_

 **'Why are you so dang adamant about this?!'**

 _'Oh? I thought I was weak-willed!'_

"Sakura-chan, you're a really bad teacher." Naruto burst out bluntly, face twisted with vexation. "I'm sure Iruka-sensei could do a better job!"

 _"That's because it's his job, Naruto!"_

She sighed loudly and took a seat at the edge of the pond, plopping down angrily and crossing her arms over her chest. "If I'm so bad a teacher, figure it out yourself!"

"That's what I've been doing, since _you're_ no help!"

Once again, the new leaf he put atop his finger was a failure. "Sakura-chan~!" He whined. "It's not working! I can walk on water just fine!"

"Oh yeah?! Then do it! It won't work!"

"That's what you think!" He yelled back before charging in her direction with the focus of a bull. He leaped over her seated form and over the lightly splashing, calm water behind her.

Eyes tightly shut, he began a mad dash across the surface and to her surprise managed a few steps before succumbing with a large, loud splash.

When he went under Sakura saw the water and made to move but wasn't able to make it out of most of the spray.

 _'Curse this body!'_

Thoroughly drenched and pissed, the Haruno didn't think as she stalked across the pond and reached under the surface for Naruto's collar, effortlessly pulling him up with a single hand despite his weight and the pressure of the water.

He didn't have time to take a breath before she remodeled his face with a jab that sent him across the field and crashing into the small zen garden, disrupting the intricately made gravel patterns with the skids of his body.

"I told you it wouldn't work! And look, I'm all wet!"

He clutched his probably stinging cheek. "It _did_ work! If I can master that, I won't need to work on that dumb leaf!"

"Says who?!"

The quiet clatter of the sliding door falling into place seemed unusually loud to Sakura's ears, and when she looked over the accusing eyes of Sasuke Uchiha bore into her soul. Immediately, she was overcome with guilt. Kakashi- _why was he here?_ -peeked in from behind the frame and saw the mess of the rock garden Sakura had made, but didn't comment on it.

"Hello, my cute little Genin!"

"Sasuke-kun, I didn't break anything!"

"Kakashi-sensei?! What are you doing here, 'ttebayo?!"

"Hn..."

 _[Restart]_

Sakura felt shame. She was invited into another's home, Sasuke's home, stayed the night, ate his food and had the impertinence to destroy his property? The audacity!

She honestly thought she was better at controlling herself than that. The only other time that had happened was on the bridge back in Wave, where she accidentally hit Sasuke. Which, she _still_ hasn't apologized for...

 **'No more chakra-infused punches, got it?'**

 _'Got it.'_

While Naruto and Kakashi continued down the hallway, as Kakashi apparently had some important news for the three, the Haruno lightly grasped Sasuke's wrist to slow him down. "Sasuke-kun?"

While he turned to her impassively, he didn't jerk his hand away, which was a good sign. "I just wanted to apologize for the garden. It...wasn't my place. And, any other thing I might have done to disrespect you." Still, he didn't say anything.

"...I've been trying to turn over a new leaf these last few weeks. So I can become a better teammate to you and Naruto. _Please_ tell me what's been bothering you."

He looked down at her grip on him, and seemed to notice something before gently coaxing his hand out. "...you should treat Naruto fairly. He's not a child and he deserves the same as the rest of us." He mumbled, before moving to the living room.

Sakura wasted only seconds before trailing after him. Has she?

Has she been treating Naruto like a child?

No; it's friendship. She's been treating him like a human being. Right?

But in training...

 _She carefully brought the leaf up off her index finger, letting it float midair above her finger, twirling slightly. Recognition flashed in his eyes before irritation settled in snugly. "Aw, come on! We did this in the Academy! Why am I doing it again!"_

 _She rapped her knuckles on his head lightly to quiet him before explaining. "From what I've seen in the Academy, your chakra control is hideous. You didn't get this exercise right, unlike I and Sasuke-kun, so you must do this before anything else."_

She _was_ babying him.

She wouldn't make that mistake again.

 _[Restart]_

Sakura didn't sit down; she didn't even take her hands out of her pockets. The atmosphere was, for some reason, really tense awaiting sensei's big news.

 **'I have a feeling I know what it is.'**

 _'Me too.'_

Suddenly Kakashi sighed. "You all don't have to be so quiet, you know."

Sasuke clicked his tongue impatiently. "Get on with it, Kakashi."

"Alright, alright... you three have improved vastly since you came out from the Academy, and I am proud to call you Team Kakashi. There is a special event coming up that will allow you to prove your strength not only to your classmates, but to the rest of your village and beyond.

"If you're lucky, you may even be promoted to _Chūnin_." All three students sucked in a breath at that.

 _'I knew it. He's recommended us for this year's Chūnin Exams.'_

 **'A bit earlier than I remember, but it's here nevertheless.'**

"Now, I'm not done." What did he mean by that?

"This event was scheduled to take place this summer in this village; it's known as the Chūnin Examinations. But, there was a bit of a problem.

"Due to the thievery from last night, it's not safe to allow foreigners into the village at the time, and, don't tell anyone I said this but, we still haven't recovered the lost object. So, there has been a change of plans."

His next words made her stomach drop.

 _"The Chūnin Examinations have been postponed to take place this winter in Sunagakure, and I have recommended you all to participate."_


	17. seventeen

_The bustling of the people around her were more prominent than the person speaking to her. Their voice got lost in the sound._

 _Moist shoulders rubbed against her own, and as people spoke the smell of nasty breath wafted towards her nose._

 _The labored breaths of everyone in the crammed space made the temperature rise, and it smelled of rank blood and sweat._

 _Sakura half-listened to Ino as she spoke, one eye on her and the other on the small desk she sat at, arranging documents back into a neat pile and strewing them again, if only to be distracted. Her voice melded with everyone else's in the bunker, every medic in hiding._

 _"Sakura, I need you to-"_

 _"The man is infected, what do you expect me-"_

 _"I need these filled out-"_

 _"Move over-"_

 _"Coming through!"_

 _She straightened the heap of papers again, wondering what type of torture this was. Couldn't she get a little peace and quiet?_

 **—Restart—**

 _"a new beginning"_

"I can't believe this." Sakura mumbled to herself, still in a slight shock as she walked through the mostly empty marketplace with her head lowered, colorful stands all closed and the road eerily quiet with not a single civilian in sight.

She licked her dry lips absentmindedly and kicked at an offending pebble, watching it skip forward out of her peripherals. This wasn't happening. _Was it?_ What was she going to do?

 _"The Chūnin Examinations have been postponed to take place this winter in Sunagakure, and I have recommended you all to participate."_

 _"What?!" Naruto and Sasuke blurted out immediately, rising to their feet to stand with Sakura. The girl couldn't say anything; she felt numb but her stomach was doing anxious acrobatics._

 _"Wait, wait. What month, exactly?" Naruto questioned._

 _"We're looking to get there early November." Kakashi drawled._

 _"November?!" This time, all three Genin of Squad Seven spoke up with surprise. Their teacher's eye crinkled in a smile. "Yup. You'll have four, five months give or take to train and prepare for the Exams. Better start thinking of what to pack now, we'll be there two months at max. And trust me, Sunagakure's weather is unpredictable as-"_

 _"-why are being told so early?" Sasuke interrupted quite rudely. Sakura glanced at him curtly, and he looked away._

 _"I was getting to that...eventually. Considering that we higher-ranked Jounin were only recently told of this reschedule, as the Chūnin Exams were supposed to take place less than a month from now, I wouldn't consider this early but instead a start ahead of the other participants. Your old classmates probably don't know yet and I forbid you from telling them._

 _"It's up to you what you'll use this time to do... come to me if you have any more questions. Oh, and also," he seemed to remember something before fishing through his pouch and pulling out three folded, familiar forms, "fill these out; get them to me sometime before we leave. If you are coming, that is."_

After that, the team kind of just...scattered. They made plans to meet up in the afternoon for a more detailed debriefing. But they all left the house and went their separate ways.

The Chūnin Exams were a very important part of her history! Sasuke got the cursed mark, the first appearance of Orochimaru, she and Ino cut their hair, Lee got hurt, Gaara went on a rampage, for heaven's sake the village was _attacked_!

There are so many issues with this it's not even funny. They have to be there by November and back in the village by January, meaning that's two months of missed information, events and opportunities in the village. And since it's being held in Suna and months away, she doesn't know if the other sensei will recommend their teams this year, meaning Team Seven may go without any other rookies. Sasuke defected shortly after the Exams; July 27 at midnight exactly, but will he do it now, and if so when? And to top it all off, the examinations are probably different, too.

What about the invasion? Will Orochimaru attack Sunagakure instead? Or, will he come for Sasuke personally? What if he makes his move during that two-month period away at Konoha? And the curse mark? What about Jiraiya? The Sandaime? Things weren't supposed to be like this!

But now...it was all going to be different. So, so very different.

 _'It's going to take place months from now, and in a village three days from here at a ninja's pace! What could happen during that blank period?'_

...she doesn't know.

The pinkette's pace didn't get any faster at that revelation, sulkily kicking up dust instead of hurrying to get to her house. She doesn't have the slightest clue. This is where the trail ends; now everything will have to be made anew.

She just has to pray she doesn't screw anything up too badly in the process.

The Haruno rounded the corner to enter a large civilian neighborhood, where the bustling of families and the smell of cooked morning food were loud and flavorful from inside quaint homes, yet doors were closed and windows were shuttered. The morning sun shone across the beaten gravel and dirt road where she walked alone, accompanied only by the sound of early birds and the rare swoosh of a passing ninja.

As she walked up the porch stairs, an uneasy feeling knotted her gut. She hasn't talked to her parents much at all since she's been with them, left for a mission with barely a word and didn't even come to visit them when she got back.

Considering where she got her temper from, her father will not be too pleased.

Due to this, she hesitated for a moment when touching the door, but only for a moment as she rapped her knuckles against the hardwood thrice.

Immediately, the door swung open and her mother pulled her into a tight embrace.

Sakura could feel her pained tears wetting her soft cardigan as Mebuki sobbed softly. The older woman gripped onto her daughters forearms, tight as a vice. As if she were some sort of lifeline.

" _Sakura_...why didn't you tell me?"

The girl, herself, was tempted to cry.

 _"...i'm sorry, Mama."_

She wrapped her arms around her mother's heaving back, running her hands up and down her familiar frame. Sakura didn't want to admit it, but in her mother's arms she found solace. A temporary refuge from the horrible thoughts plaguing her. Because she knew without a doubt her mother would protect her, despite being a civilian and knowing nothing of the separate world her daughter lived in, separate time. It was a childish thing to admit and she hated how she could be so weak.

But Sakura was so glad she was lucky enough to have this. To have _her_ , even if her mother wasn't always there.

"I'm sorry..."

She didn't say that she wouldn't do it again.

 _[Restart]_

After having tea and a half hour of idle conversation with her parents ( _most of which was spent getting stripped into by her worrywart father_ ) to satiate their suspicions, Sakura decided to lock herself in her room to work, taking her barely-touched drink upstairs with her.

She sipped at her vacuum flask, savoring the fragrant, hot liquid that seared her throat before setting it down on the corner of her desk once more. She fiddled with her pink, rose-patterned pencil a bit more before she began to write again.

 _'Just put down anything you remember from the last timeline..'_

 **'This is the turning point in our life. You need to make sure you've recorded everything...'**

Sakura had been writing for over thirty minutes straight, making sure she has documented every last detail of every last day she can remember during her first ever Chūnin Exam and the time shortly after that, just so she can make sure that everything goes some sort of smoothly this time around.

"And...I...am... _done_." She announced to herself happily, finishing her sentence in time with the speed of her writing of the last few points. She looked over the filled scroll approvingly before rolling it up and storing it in one of her many drawers, this one amongst her old hair brushes. She'd have to check in daily and made calculated changes.

Swiveling in her leather desk chair, she faced the rest of the room and slid out of the space, padding over to her vanity. She gave herself a once-over in the mirror out of guilty habit, checking for any stray pimple or eyelash out of place.

"I will conquer." She stared into her reflection, pink brows furrowing with determination and zeal. "I will conquer all the problems this life throws my way, I swear! And _this_ is the first step."

Sakura set her hands down on the full to overflowing surface covered with cosmetics, and swiped every last product into the small trash bin next to the desk leg. They all fell into the trash bin with a resounding crash.

Then the roseate went around her entire room, probing the area for any dumb beauty product or unnecessary item taking up space in her sanctuary. By the time she was done, the only thing full to overflowing in the room was the can.

She rubbed her hands against each other as she looked around her now spotless and spacious room. "Had to make room for my upcoming medical scrolls," she said to herself approvingly. The girl quickly changed into a breathable training outfit; a simple airy black tank, skintight green shorts and her go-to shoes. She only took a moment to make sure her weights were secure.

"Mom, I'm leaving!"

"Stay safe!"

"Training starts now." She announced to herself, grabbing her pouch and headband on the nightstand before walking out the door.

 _[Restart]_

She skipped out, yelling goodbyes to her parents as she secured her headband onto her head, keeping her long hair back. She broke out into a light jog down the street and took in the quiet scenery as she ran, unclear on where to go.

 **'Maybe we should visit the training grounds.'**

 _'It'll be hard to train without a partner.'_

 **'Hard, not impossible.'**

 _'I'll keep the idea in mind. What about Ino's?'_

 **'Do we need anything there?'**

 _'I don't think so.'_

 **'Let's not. Don't want her talking our ear off this early.'**

Sakura let a light chuckle bloom from her throat, and her spirits lifted a little higher. Sometimes a laugh is just the right remedy. She breathed in the crisp morning air and reveled in the quiet that one couldn't find very often in a tightly packed village.

 _'Hospital?'_

 **'For what?'**

 _'I don't know...maybe we could get a job.'_

 **'There's nothing we can tell them about our experience that isn't classified.'**

 _'Today was supposed to be productive.'_

 **'Let's head to the training grounds. A few laps around the area, then some physical exercises. Maybe wrap it up with some shurikenjutsu, or katas.'**

The roseate didn't answer Inner, instead choosing to take a sharp turn towards Training Ground Seven, speeding up ever so slightly.

 _[Restart]_

Sweat dripped off Sakura's nose as she caught her breath, doubled over and shaking after some unusually intense training, even for her. She continuously let her chakra run amok in her body until she was refreshened and quickly collected her weapons and things, sitting under the shade of one of Konoha's large oaks provided to rest.

She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand before reaching into her weapons pouch. Since her last visit to the weapons shop before Wave, it was deflated and unhappy, void with sharp and pointy things. Well, she would need to pay a visit there then.

 _'I should get a small medical kit while I'm at it.'_

 **'That'd be nice.'**

The pinkette fastened the bag to her hip once more and got up, ready for her next stop. As she walked through the empty streets, she wondered.

 _'I should grab a bite. My stomach's acting up.'_

 **'I don't think any restaurants are open. You'll be fine.'**

She pumped chakra through her legs and boosted herself onto the roof of the nearest building for a better view of something to do with her time. She had a perfect view of several different parts of the village from her higher ground.

 **'Hey, that's Oak Street.'**

 _'Oh? It is.'_

Quickly roof-jumping over to the red and green sign pointing her in the direction of Oak Str., she hopped down and felt around in her pouch for her weapons as reassurance as she approached what she assumed was the revamped Uchiha building. It was still a weapons shop; but she doesn't think it was still Uchiha-owned.

Discreetly, she hid one of the only kunai she had on hand and knocked on the door, expecting some sort of civilian merchant or old citizen to open it.

What she didn't expect was a girl her age, shorter and cute with dark eyes and pin-straight black hair, but clearly battle-trained. She didn't say anything at first, and just stared up at Sakura tensely.

The girl in question coughed awkwardly and waved. "Hi there," she said disarmingly. "Is this shop open?"

She swore she saw the strange girl's dark eyes drift over to her so very obviously empty pouch, but her eyes were back on her so quickly she ought to have imagined it. Suddenly she smiled, straight pearly-whites and all. It was pretty, but Sakura's war-trained instincts told her something was off. " _Sure_! Come on in." she finally answered, and moved to the side to let Sakura in.

Any normal, average Konoha civilian would have gone in, completely turning their backs on their guest or lead them in. Not allow the guest in first completely, waiting till they were a good distance in before closing the door, to get a perfect view of their back.

It wasn't Sakura's first cue. Her hand itched toward her kunai again.

"Interesting weather today, isn't it?" The girl attempted to make casual small-talk, flicking on some lights for a better display of their goods. Sakura stole a look at all the weapons on display. She had brought a wad of cash with her; looks like she'll have to leave with something to seal the illusion.

"Yeah; I should've brought an umbrella." Sakura joked charmingly, giving the girl a knowing look in an attempt to get a smile or laugh.

But suddenly, she wasn't cheery.

Suddenly she turned off two of the lights so only one gave the room an eerie glow, and snorted rudely. "They don't tell me anything," she said and hopped behind the desk, fiddling with a few drawers. Sakura watched on, inwardly confused but decided not to show it.

"So you're one of the new recruits, huh? You don't look like you'll last long." The girl said dubiously, staring at Sakura.

Strange. Who was this girl, and why such a one-eighty? The roseate gulped down her apprehension and responded seamlessly, "Don't underestimate me, or it'll be the last thing you do."

The other girl whistled. "You've got some moxie." She said sarcastically, before finally pulling out a file from behind the desk and reaching over to hand it to her. "Name's Smith, by the way. But my persona's is Mio. You?"

 _Persona? Recruits? They?_

Without missing a beat she took the file and responded, making up a name on the spot. "Persona's Sakura. But...you can call me the _Pink_ _Medic_."

She didn't dare open up the manila folder; she might end up looking overly curious.

"So we've finally got a healer, eh? Or do you just like the name?"

"A bit of both."

The girl dubbed Mio, or should she say Smith, jumped over the desk and to a door in the back of the room, pressing some buttons on a keypad and didn't bother to hide her movements. Sakura followed her hand in case she'd ever need to know the code.

The door unlocked quickly and she pushed it open, a file of her own in hand. She turned back to Sakura impatiently. "You coming or not, ' _Pink Medic_ '? You've gotta meet the guys."

 _Guys?_

Without a word, Sakura followed Smith through the door, and it quietly locked itself behind them.

 _[Restart]_

Smith led her down a long set of metal stairs that rang harshly every time they took a step, but it wasn't long until she was met with a long, dark hallway with several metal doors all with their own keypad. Prison cells? Or maybe...living spaces?

Shuffling up to a seemingly random one, Smith opened the door, this time without letting Sakura see her, and opened it wider for easier access for the both of them.

Inside...was what resembled a bunker. It was packed with things, weapons laid askew and two boys laid on the bunk bed in the corner of the room, also around her age, maybe a bit older.

"Lazy," Sakura heard her mutter before she began to shake the bed rails, effectively rousing the two. "I have to wake up so much earlier than you two! It's already noon, get up!"

They in turn grumbled and reluctantly, but obediently, slipped out from under their covers.

One was a boy she didn't recognize, but the other...

 _Oh. Oh my..._

"To introduce you three," Smith started. "This is Florence, persona Sota. My older brother." she beckoned the black-haired gray-eyed anonymity that couldn't seem to stop staring at her as soon as they caught each other's eyes, and the other...

 _"And this buzzkill, is Sai. No persona."_

The ghostly pale boy she used to know (used to? Or will?) with darker features and clothing didn't wave, didn't smile or smirk. Didn't move. His black eyes pierced hers, and she felt herself tense awaiting his next move. But then he plastered on an obviously fake but so irritatingly familiar pale smile and greeted her. "Hey there, _Ugly_."

Why was he here? This had something to do with ROOT? Her heart hurt, and she didn't react as she did last time they met. "Hey, _Stupid_." She said instead to cover up her emotion, hoping he didn't see evidence of her eyes stinging and faced Smith. "Why'd I have to meet them?" She asked bluntly in an attempt to configure some sort of brave personality with these strange, soldier newcomers.

Smith rolled her eyes. "So impatient. These idiots," she said, "-will be part of the Unit you'll be joining.

 _Unit?!_

Smith seemed to remember something, before beginning to usher Sakura up the stairs and away with so many questions and zero answers. "Come back here tomorrow at this time for a more thorough debriefing. I haven't met them yet, so bring the other two recruits making up the rest of your Squad." _Squad?_

As they were finally back on ground level, Smith suddenly brightened, very different from the gritty, caustic attitude she showcased earlier. "By the way, what do you _specialize_ in?"

Sakura only had a moment's hesitation before answering. "...Taijutsu and medicine primarily."

Smith stared at her for a moment silently, before pushing her out the door of the quaint little shop and shouting, "Come again, _Sakura_!" As if they had talked for hours.

Sakura quickly picked up on the silent cue and answered just as familiarly and cheerily.

And as she turned, she came face-to-face with a certain Uchiha who had visible confusion on his face. He was apparently walking past when he saw her leave the building they had discussed the previous night.

The pinkette gave him a silent signal; she wrapped an arm over his shoulder and attached herself to his side, turning the both of them away quickly, whispering casually yet urgently. "We need to find Naruto and talk. Somewhere _very private_."

She didn't notice the person tailing them.

 _[Restart]_

"You went without us, 'ttebayo?"

"We never planned far enough ahead to agree to all investigate as one."

"Hn. It doesn't matter anymore; we'll all head there tomorrow together."

"Sasuke," Sakura warned uncharacteristically from beside him on the floor. After tracking down Naruto, who was attempting to break into a closed Ichiraku, they had all decided to converge at their unofficial (but still pretty official) meeting spot at Sasuke's again.

"You're already involved in whatever's going on, Sakura," the Uchiha reasoned. "We're not going to leave you there in the lion's den."

"Teme's got a point, Sakura-chan," Naruto agreed. "We're a team, right? So we go into this as a team."

Sakura sighed as she always did when they decided to team up against her. Sasuke continued. "They're expecting you to bring at least two others, right? We'll just go in tomorrow as a group. You told us what you think is the code-phrase; we should be able to get in."

"Yeah... _but_..." Sakura said, still very unsure. Naruto patted her on the back and grinned reassuringly. "We'll be fine! I've already got a secret code name in mind! What do you think of ' _The Super Mega Ultra Legendary Future Hokage_ '?!"

A certain Uchiha rolled his eyes. "Too long, and it plain sucks. Something more simple like what Sakura chose." Sasuke interrupted brutally, shaking his head. Naruto squawked at him angrily and Sakura remembered something. "Hey, Sasuke-kun, what'll your name be?"

He seemed surprised at her question judging by the slight widening of his eyes, but he was deep in though for a few moments before blurting out, "...Raven."

There was silence for a few moments before Sakura let a snort slip before covering it up with a cough.

"That's so corny, Teme!" Naruto announced bluntly. Sasuke ' _tched_ ' and his bangs covered the side of his face, but Sakura could see the tips of his suddenly pink ears. "Well, I'm sticking with it." He muttered as the Uzumaki began to laugh, and Sakura herself let a few giggles slip.

And if Sakura could have seen him at that moment, she would blushed at the widening smile on his own face.

"So? Tomorrow?" Naruto confirmed. "We'll meet there?"

"Mm!" Sakura agreed, and Sasuke nodded.

They had a lot of battles ahead, but at least they would face them together.

 _[Restart]_

Sakura's heart felt heavy as she remembered her brief encounter with her socially awkward future teammate hours prior. However problematic the boy was in some departments, she knew he could read her like a book. And now that she may be working with him again, she has to keep her distance. However much she missed Sai and wished she could talk with him, she can't risk forming any more treacherous bonds. Sasuke was her first and last mistake.

The smell of stale ramen whiffed past her nose and she turned to the passing Naruto, who was about to throw on his shoes. "Ah, Naruto." She addressed him.

"Hm?" He didn't look at her as he hurriedly fumbled with the straps.

"Are you available for training today? I wanna make up yesterday's disaster to you. So if you-"

"Sorry Sakura-chan I'm busy gotta go bye!" As soon as his sandals were secure he rushed out and slammed the door behind him.

"..huh." Sakura cocked her head to the side, mildly confused. What's gotten into him?

"What was that?" Sasuke came running up from behind her to the entrance from the loud noise. "Naruto's in a hurry to get somewhere, that's all." Sakura calmed his worries and sat down on the floor, reaching for her shoes. "Well, I better get going too-"

"Wait up."

Sakura's green eyes drifted to her other side, and saw Sasuke slipping on his own shoes. "You have somewhere to be?" She asked tentatively.

"We."

 _'Is he gonna follow me?'_

Sakura didn't say anything, just finished shoving her feet in her sandals and hoping he didn't see the way she felt her face burn in childish hope.

 _[Restart]_

More and more civilians were trickling slowly into the streets. If there was an end to the lockdown she didn't hear anything about it.

For what felt like the millionth time, she glanced at Sasuke's emblazoned back leading her through the small street crowds. What does he even _want_ with her?

 **'Don't let your imagination run wild.'**

 _'I won't, trust me.'_

Sakura felt distrust bloom in her chest and her hands flirted with her hidden weapon once more. Where was he taking her and _why_? This was unlike him; an _imposter_?

This time, the eyes on the two of them were more obvious and more heated, and Sakura noticed the way girls her age glared and swooned at the same time when they caught sight of the two. One even burst into tears. All this, and the two teammates weren't even touching.

 **'Watch out, the horde is coming.'**

But the Uchiha didn't seem to notice all this drama going on around him, or just didn't acknowledge it. Either way, both options seemed like something he would do. The pinkette felt a strong urge to roll her eyes, and her distrust vanished when they came near an array of shops and outlets.

He made a sharp turn and Sakura instinctively followed the movement, and now they were walking into yet another weapons shop. But this one didn't have the tense or ' _homey_ ' atmosphere the last few stores she's been in did.

 _'Speaking of which, I still need to find a tailor.'_

A middle aged woman who was obviously a past kunoichi waved from behind the counter at the two, lips curving upward at the sight of the Uchiha. "Sasuke! Good to see you again!" He acknowledged her with a nod and looked towards Sakura. So he's a regular..." You need more weapons for yourself. I'm buying, so hurry up."

The Haruno looked at him dubiously for a moment, unbelieving that he actually went out of his way to help her. But when his expression didn't shift for several seconds her heart soared.

He cared. Well, that was a bit of an overstatement, but the thought was there.

Without thinking she quickly pulled him against her tight in a hug, and she felt him freeze up. He was warmer than she thought he would be. "Thank you." She whispered, before letting go to start busying herself in the store and trying to keep her thoughts away from the pleasant feeling.

In her peripherals she could see he still hadn't moved, looking rather awkward standing there stock still. She could hear the storekeeper teasing him but couldn't care less.

This was the peak of her day.

She made quick work, treating herself to only the essentials, and Sasuke finally came up to the register to pay, pointedly ignoring the knowing looks the storekeeper threw his way.

Soon they had left and resumed walking through the streets of their hometown, people spilling from buildings all around them.

Sakura felt revitalized. It seems all her old daydreams were coming to fruition in this new world she's in. "Hey, what's the occasion?" She teased, nudging him with her elbow.

He didn't react, but he didn't look annoyed. "You lost most of your weapons in Wave. And..."

The pinkette perked up, ears attentive. "And what?"

"...and I wanted to thank you for the training."

Surprised at the admittance, she turned her head sharply to look at him, but his face was turned away. A little too quickly, he attempted to rephrase, "It was useful during that last battle."

 **'You're not going to charm your way out of this one, Uchiha.'**

"...thanks. Hopefully we can keep training..?" Sakura asked tentatively, looking away herself in fear of rejection.

"...Training Ground Seven?" He asked quietly, looking ahead.

She smiled. "Yeah."

 _[Restart]_

As the two walked up to the training ground In silence, they were surprised to see Naruto walking up also, and Kakashi already there and reclining on a tree branch.

"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?" Naruto inquired as he jogged up to the rest of his team.

"Sensei. You're... _early_." Sakura stated, still not quite trusting what she clearly saw.

"Ah, well. This news is very important, you see. Since we're all here, let's save an hour and get it over with." He murmured as he slid down the tree and in front of his curious students.

All was quiet for a moment before Kakashi sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair. "Firstly, I wanted to apologize."

Sakura sucked in a breath quietly. This was new. What had he done this time?

"I...haven't been taking charge in training you three. The fact that you had to seek out other sources, even on missions, just goes to show that I have not been fulfilling my duty as your teacher. There could have been serious casualties back in Wave, and I won't let a single one of you die because of me.

"I'm truly sorry. So, new plan for awhile. Get to the training grounds at 5 AM, and I _promise_ I will be there. I will start training you three for the upcoming Examinations. Expect pain."

He was finally going to teach something worthwhile? Well, less work for Sakura to do. She can cross that off of her to-do list and focus on other things.

"But before all of that, the Hokage ordered me to relay a message to you three." The pinkette perked up at this.

"Due to the whole Wave fiasco, the Sandaime has given you three a week off of all missions and duties to your village. And to make sure you stay away from unnecessary work, he has also assigned me a mission that should take a little over a week itself." That was odd. Why so long?

Sasuke frowned; it seems he noticed it, too. "Don't A-Ranks require at least a day of rest, maximum three during peacetime?"

"Well yes, but it seems our Hokage has taken pity on you, since your first mission outside the village was something grossly out of your league... _and_ the report may have been a little more dramatic than necessary. But in my opinion, it had all went somewhat smoothly... anyway.

While I'm gone, don't be idle. Here." He held out his gloved hand to reveal three slips of paper. "Take one."

Sakura plucked up the one on the left, ecstatic that she was finally going to find out her chakra nature. It was always dangerous for Genin to use these alone, so Sakura had decided to forgo it so not to arouse suspicion.

 _'I wonder if it will be different.'_

"It's chakra paper; the way it will react to your chakra determines your Nature, which I'm sure you've heard of. Just send a pulse of chakra through it. If it burns up, you're Fire, if it wets you're Water, if it splits you're Wind-"

The Haruno turned out the rest and excitably ran her chakra out from her fingers and into the smooth surface. Naruto and Sasuke did the same.

Naruto's paper split cleanly in two down the middle. He whooped loudly.

Sasuke paper crinkled, then caught fire. He smirked, just as Naruto complained about him having several.

To her utmost surprise, Sakura's paper crinkled horribly, till it was a tight ball, before it crumbled into dirt.

This was definitely new.

"Earth..." which she had expected, and...

"Lightning." Sakura muttered, eyes wide.

"What? You didn't expect that?" Kakashi inquired. "I didn't take you for a Lightning type, either. But this is still fine.

While I'm gone, I want you three to go to the library and look up simple Jutsu that correspond with your elements. Sasuke, Sakura, you can work together to speed things up. I expect you all to have mastered at least one each by the time I'm back."

The pinkette glanced at Sasuke from the corner of her eye, just as he did the same. Awkwardly, she averted her gaze to the ground. Why, Kami? Just why? It would have been easier to do this part on her own. She's learned how to utilize the element already, but it was by far the hardest to get down. And now, she'll have to do it all over again.

 **'What an annoyance, right?'**

 _'Right. I'll have to lean on Sasuke for this one.'_

Kakashi began monologuing again. "Don't slack while I'm away; keep on training. Sakura, I'd recommend furthered weight training and endurance. Naruto, work on your shurikenjutsu and forms. Sasuke, chakra control. I expect results when I'm back, understand?"

"Hai." The three chorused, instructions in mind.

Sakura's stomach ached uncomfortably, and she winced a bit. Guess she really was hungry.


	18. eighteen

**—Restart—**

 _"agents"_

Flip, flip, flip.

The sound of a page turning was on repeat in her ears, and it was surprisingly calming rather than irritating. In one world it was a long time ago and in another less than a decade ago where a little pink haired girl too shy to converse found refuge surrounded by books of all kinds. This was just history repeating itself.

But just as the plot finally began to kick in, the book was swiped from her hands.

Fingers itching for a few more sentences, she slowly turned to the training companion adjacent to her, book propped in his perfect hand and face indifferent to her inner turmoil. He spoke in a hushed tone, "Focus."

The girl in question responded equally as quietly, eyes switching from her fantasy novel to her unimpressed crush. "...I'm taking a break."

"You just don't like the material."

"They're essentially the same thing."

A few months ago, she would have never had this sort of banter with Sasuke, and he would have never responded almost teasingly. But as Naruto glanced back and forth at the both of them, he stuck a finger near his open mouth. " _Ew_. Get a room, you two." He whispered.

Sasuke didn't stop staring at her, eyes narrowed. "It's not that hard. If you'd just focus, you'd learn the material quickly and you could use your time elsewhere."

Sadly, it'd be stupid to argue against logic and fact, so Sakura didn't try and gave her ' _Lightning Chakra: For Dobes_ ' book another go, giving him the _look (you know the one)_ before soaking up material at a snail's pace.

It's early afternoon the day after Kakashi left for his mysterious mission, and now the assignment he had tasked his students with needed completing. So, all with the same idea in mind, they each bought a drink at the library cafe, checked out books in the Genin section and sat down to learn. Even Naruto was more interested than she was, ironically, reading about all the cool things one could do with a mastered Wind Nature. Sakura, on the other hand, having blown through all the books she could get her hands on about Earth Nature is stuck with Lightning.

Glancing at Sasuke through her peripherals revealed he was immersed in his book, completely and utterly gone in the pages. He didn't even see, much less sense her eyes on him.

At least _he_ was enjoying himself.

Huffing through her nose Sakura attempted to do the same.

Flip, flip, flip.

 _[Restart]_

Sasuke hummed with frustration, staring at his empty hand that should have been crackling with electricity while Sakura watched him blankly. Seeing her watching him, he turned away from her slightly to hide his failure, probably so as not to lose any of his fragile ego.

Sakura just blinked at him dubiously, not in the mood to blush. Turning away, she stomped her foot on the ground and a decent crack rippled through, quickly creating a small chasm. Definitely _not_ her best, but she's making progress. The earth rumbled at the disturbance ever so slightly and Naruto gaped before stumbling.

"How is that even _possible_?!" Naruto whined as he saw how easily, how _flippantly_ she was able to use her Earth element. She heard Sasuke grumble in agreement, and she just shrugged proudly. Destruction was a forte of hers, that's all. "What can I say? My skill set and this element match."

"Lightning, not so much!" Naruto guyed her with an annoying grin. She gave him a glare. "Focus on your own element, would you?" He laughed one more time before turning away to throw Wind laced kunai back at a tree. Or, kunai that were supposed to be Wind laced as he still couldn't get a handle on the element.

 **'Ignore him.'**

Just like Sasuke was doing, she stared down at her empty hand, trying to will chakra into it.

 _'Do it the way the book said to. Wait until it feels almost lethal, till you've held it so long it begins to resist, before running it over your wrist and into your palm.'_

Sakura held it for as long as she could, but when she made to run it over her wrist she lost control and it flowed back down her arm to her core, unbidden. She wanted to groan and stomp her foot again, because for someone with perfect chakra control this was _really hard_ , but controlled herself and attempted this a few more times.

Just as she was recalling her grueling training with this element in the past- _future?_ -she heard a crackle to her side. Glancing over, she saw Sasuke with his eyes closed and brows slightly furrowed in concentration, barely-there sparks dancing along his palm. She took a sharp intake of breath, and as soon as he opened his eyes at the sound the sparks dissipated.

She watched him curse. "Another failure," he muttered. Sakura started. "No, I saw something! There were sparks!" His eyes widened and he looked at his hand a little closer, but there was nothing. "I think what you were doing helped you," she exclaimed, feeling second-hand pride.

He's such a prodigy, although it's a far cry from Chidori. But then again, this is a natural Element of his and the B.S. Sakura was given was just the world messing with her. But no matter. She would learn this element and more.

Rejuvenated, Sakura tried closing her eyes and doing the same thing... _but_ nothing happened. But that didn't make any sense! Sasuke was doing the same thing and her control was better than his. This Lightning thing has been grating on her nerves. "Sasuke-kun, how'd you do it? It's not working." She asked, more like whined, confused.

He glanced at her for a few moments, before trudging over. He stood and hesitated with reaching his arms out towards her, and Sakura almost recoiled away at his awkwardness, but eventually, she took his hand in hers by the wrist, before adjusting to cup the back of her hand in his palm with a surprising gentleness.

 **'He's been real touchy-feely as of late. Someone's in a good mood~'**

"Close your eyes," he instructed after a moment of silence. It's been a while since he's been the teacher. Sakura followed. "Visualize the Lightning. Don't focus on the amount of chakra, just get _something_ to do what you want it to."

There was a long period of tense silence and anticipation, but suddenly Sasuke sighed and let go of her. Almost on contact her hand felt cold. "Maybe you learn a different way." He mumbled. "Can't help." He stated, before turning on his heel back to his corner.

Hand still suspended in the air, Sakura felt angry frustration well up from inside her. What the heck? What kind of technique required no control? That's so _wasteful_. And now she just has to forgo years of conditioning for something she should have never had to deal with?

Sakura knew it was stupid, but...this wasn't fair.

"I'll be right back, you guys," Sakura informed her teammates, who glanced at her curiously but she was already on her way out of the Training Grounds.

 _[Restart]_

Sakura needed to blow off some steam. She needed to be anywhere. Anywhere but there.

Pushing through the suddenly busy streets of her village, she let her feet take her where they please. She'd be back in a half hour or so, anyway; never was something as trivial as this going to keep her down for too long. She was Tsunade's apprentice, for Kami's sake!

Coming back in time, she was at square one. This was just...a subdivision of that, in a way.

Pushing pink strands of hair away from her face habitually, she strode into Ino's family shop.

The blonde bestie Sakura knew had her back turned to her, but upon hearing the jingle of bells from the opening door she turned with a practiced smile. "Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop! How may-Sakura?"

The girl in question gave her a smile, shrugging. "It's me."

" _Sakura!_ " Ino jumped over the counter and into the arms of the pinkette, immediately beginning to fret. "Why didn't you tell me you were back, Forehead?! You didn't even tell me you had _left_!"

Sakura looked at her healthy friend, one of the few who had stayed with her throughout the war, and the only who had survived so long. She always had crazy vitality.

"Sorry, Pig!"

 _[Restart]_

"-and he wouldn't stop eating. He nearly ate sensei out of house and home!"

Sakura laughed at Ino's animated gestures and tones as she told the story that her team lived over barbecue. That Chouji...

"But enough about me, hm? How've you been, Forehead?" Ino asked as her giggling ceased, turquoise eyes lively.

"I've been fine. A little frustrated, is all. Training really sucks today."

"On a team with Sasuke-kun, I see! How's all that free eye-candy?" She teased, nudging Sakura with her elbow.

The girl in question rolled her eyes. Her relationship with him nowadays was somewhere in between strained courtesy and total indifference. Better than what she started with, in any case. "I told you, you can have him."

"Aw, but that's no fun if you just give up! Besides, I saw the way you looked at him when we got to class that last day. _Deliriously in love~!_ "

Sakura managed to keep her cheeks from reddening. It was only a few months ago, was she that easy to read? "Shut up, Pig!"

"But in all seriousness," Ino started, "You've changed. You aren't as annoying and brash as you usually are. More subdued and shifty." Ino analyzed, as though she were talking about the weather.

"You clearly haven't!" Sakura exclaimed, trying to quickly change the subject. She knew Ino was good when it comes to her and details, but _that_ good?

"You're thicker. Less feminine." Ino pointed out, reaching over and gripping her bicep. Was she? Sakura didn't see any change from a lanky teen.

"You don't look as slim in your qipao, and your arms and legs are bigger and less slender. Yet your stomach is flatter."

"It's called muscle, Ino." Sakura droned sarcastically, feeling nervous at Ino's accurate rambling.

"The Sakura I know would bend over backwards to keep a ladylike figure. Who are you and what have you done with my frenemy?" Ino ribbed, and began poking and prodding Sakura's body.

"Newsflash: I've been training my _butt_ off! And you could do to lose a little yourself, piggy." Sakura grinned at Ino and began pinching at the skin of her bandaged tummy, taking large clumps so not to make it hurt. Ino giggled again and tore Sakura's hands off.

" _Forehead~!_ You need a new set of clothes. But don't worry, the Magnificent Ino has got you covered." Ino declared, winking playfully. "But I'm also economically savvy, so see you in March."

"Of _course_ you'd wait for my birthday to give a caring gesture. Typical Ino," Sakura drawled, before laughing with her sometimes friend.

She really, really needed that.

 _[Restart]_

When it came to Lightning, it was fast yet strong, fleeting yet lingered. Rather than with Earth or Water, where you maintained control with a steady guiding hand, with Lightning you just open the floodgates, rip off the bandaid, and watch as disaster strikes and ends faster than you can blink.

Maybe that's why Sasuke took to it so easily. He _was_ always more of an ' _actions rather than words'_ sort of guy.

Maybe that's the trick to it, Sakura thought to herself as she jogged away from the Yamanaka Flower Shop and back to the Training Ground after her breather. Just _do_ , don't think. Sasuke did the same when he was learning how to run up trees, how to walk on water, and it seemed to work better than fine rather than the way she might have done it; every step slow and cautious. Maybe that was why Sasuke only had sparks.

At this thought, she hopped onto the nearest roof for faster travel, and began spontaneously pumping chakra towards her hands, waiting only moments before shoving it over her wrist. Every time she looked down from her fast travel, she didn't see a spark, but she could finally feel it crackling beneath her skin.

 _'Yes!'_

She continued her experiment all the way to the Training Grounds, and as soon as the path became familiar she no longer looked away from her hand, trusting her legs to get there.

Just as Sakura's eyes widened from seeing a ghost of a spark light up on her fingertips, her feet landed on something that wasn't solid ground and the rest of her body followed. There was a masculine grunt from underneath her as she fell onto a toned torso. They landed in a heap, and when she smelled something embarrassingly familiar she looked down to see Sasuke grimacing before her.

"Shoot, sorry Sasuke-kun!" The pinkette stuttered an apology as she stumbled off of him and onto her rump. He winced as he straightened himself to lean on an elbow, also sitting on the concrete. "Check your surroundings more." He chastised, even as he winced in pain. The Haruno's eyes zeroed in on the raw scrape along his forearm, and her hands were already glowing with healing energy before she made a move towards him.

He noticed. "Stop, it's fine," he amended, but the guilt and worry still tugged at Sakura. "No, it's not fine. I'm healing you," she said with an air of finality. He seemed to deflate and let her gingerly take his arm, but he snapped back as soon as they made contact, and so did she. It... _hurt_.

"Static?" He breathed out, staring her in the eye with his eyebrows raised. She could almost see his pupils in the glinting morning light. She gave him a smile she couldn't resist, and murmured softly, "Yeah. I think I'm getting the hang of it."

"Show it to me later?" He whispered back, as if they were sharing a secret of sorts.

"Totally."

"Show what to me later?" Naruto asked loudly as he jogged towards the sitting pair, his fox-amplified hearing allowing him to pick up the hushed words.

Sakura started the healing process on Sasuke's arm once he gave it back to her and spoke with an excited tilt to her voice. "I figured out how to use my Lightning. Well, sort of!"

Naruto hummed with understanding and came to kneel next to her as she worked on Sasuke. "What are you two doing here instead of the training grounds, anyway?"

"You were gone for over an hour! So of course, Teme and me had to go looking for you."

"I didn't realize it had been so long."

"You never do, Sakura-chan. Besides, we'd have to find you to go do the thing!"

"Hn. The ' _thing_ '?" Sasuke cut in.

"Yeah, the ' _thing_ ', 'ttebayo."

"Oh! Sasuke-kun, the ' _thing_ '." Sakura parroted, winking at him knowingly and mouthing ' _Raven_ '. He scoffed and turned his head, but she could still see him slightly flush.

"We should change our clothes before we get there, though. You're filthy, Naruto!" Sakura explained, getting up and brushing herself off. The boy was matted with dirt and dust, and littered with minor scratches.

"Yeah, but that won't take long! Let's meet up at Teme's place later!"

"Okay," agreed Sakura. "Sasuke-kun, hows 2:00 for you?"

"It's fine." He muttered, finally glancing at her. They shared a brief look, of curiosity and promise and _something_ else, before breaking contact and rising.

Naruto looked at the two's silent exchange, but didn't say anything.

 _[Restart]_

Sakura almost squeaked when Sasuke's closed fist banged against the door thrice. She managed to catch herself in time, though, and reduced it to a low hum.

After cleaning themselves up, they gathered at Sasuke's house again and reviewed a few things they'd need before going into enemy territory, such as information to keep to themselves and the appropriate moments to speak ( _coughNarutocough_ ) before they headed towards the old shop with Sasuke appointed as the silent leader of the group.

The door opened with a grating screech, and Mio— _Smith?_ —looked up at them with a curious smile. Once again, she paused before she spoke. "...How can I help you-"

"-We're just looking around, so if you would excuse us." Sasuke interrupted obnoxiously, staring her down without remorse. This time, the flit of her eyes towards his purposefully inconspicuous pouch, hidden behind the fabric of his purposefully chosen civvy clothing was visible and the pinkette was prepared for it. Neither she or Naruto, also clad in villager cloth, said a word.

"Well, come on in! We've got an array of items on display." Sasuke watched her as she stepped to the side to let them in, and her eyes bore into his own. Once again, the trio stepped far into the store before the door was shut.

Smith— _let's just call her by her real name_ —quickly rounded on the team from behind the counter, poking and prodding and perfecting some of the trinkets in her showcase. "Interesting weather today, isn't it?" She made it sound nearly perfectly like distracted small talk, but the sharpness in her eyes as she glanced back towards her customers said otherwise.

" _Yeah, I should've brought an umbrella._ " Team Seven said in unison, staring Smith down.

She didn't say a word at first, before a grin erupted onto her lips. She flicked off some lights and pulled out more folders. "Welcome back, _Pink Medic_. I assume this is the rest of your squad?"

"Correct," Sasuke answered for her. The roseate carefully didn't look at him, but Smith has no such qualms, jabbing a finger towards the Uchiha.

"You there, with the stupid haircut. Name."

"Sasuke. Call me Raven."

Smith snorted loudly. "Raven? _Really_? Oka~y. Sunshine, name."

Sakura could almost feel Naruto bite down on his tongue before answering. "Naruto, but the other is Legendary Hokage."

Now Sakura had to bite _her_ tongue.

 **'That's just a shortened version of that stupid name from earlier.'**

"' _Legendary Hokage'_. Right." Smith drawled. She dragged her eyes over the two boys, propping a hand on her hip. "I've heard those names around before... and I know exactly where." all three of them tensed. Should they have created fake real names, too?

"... _but_ it doesn't matter. Here, nobody's special. ' _Cept that one defect._ " The last part was an angry whisper beneath her breath. "Whatever, follow." She turned on her heel and Sakura inwardly breathed a sigh of relief having once again successfully infiltrated this place.

"You got lucky to be initiated at this time; Leader-man's coming around today for the rookies. Maybe you'll sneak a peek," Smith monologued as they traveled down the winding steel steps, rattling with each movement.

Sakura could hear Naruto's sharp intake of breath at the sight of orderly, cell-resembling rooms with a forked tunnel leading down two different paths at the end of the long hallway. In her peripherals, she could see Sasuke slightly narrow his eyes, always discreet.

"Down the left, is the Training Grounds, and more different pathways leading to different fields. To the right, is the HQ where you can look for assignments, talk to higher-ups, the whole deal. And these rooms are your living quarters. We've got a lot of soldiers, so you three share one. Don't worry, it's smaller than it looks."

The witty girl gave Team Seven a quick tour, pointing and gesturing, before pushing them towards a rectangular cell and through the window of the door the pinkette saw a bunk bed in the corner and a small desk and stool in another. "This is your go-to if you're a full-time agent, or if you're just sleeping for a few nights or need to keep some documents off your person. You want another bed, figure it out yourselves in the Training Grounds." She pulled Sakura a little closer, who tensed at her overly warm skin, and whispered, "Sorry, but the girls are usually the ones who end up on the floor."

Pushing Sakura away, she punched a few numbers into a keypad where the cell door's lock was, and upon hearing a small click, she slid open the door and the room was open. "The combination is on a paper on the desk. Memorize it, then burn it. People here have sticky fingers."

Smith handed Sasuke the two folders she brought down with her. "They're your first missions. Optional, but recommended. They're overly simple, but we still have to give the fresh meat a taste of what we do around here. Once you're done, prepare a report before turning it in at HQ.

"Oh, and make sure that you thoroughly go through that folder. There will be consequences for an incomplete job. Head down to HQ to get your gear and sign in as a soldier officially sometime soon. Don't forget, Leader-man _will_ be around."

After Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were pushed into the small room, the door locked them in, and Smith waved apathetically from the outside. "Don't be a stranger." Her muffled voice finished, before walking off without a second glance.

"...i _don't_ like her." Naruto muttered, finally voicing what he'd bottled up this entire time.

"Her stage name is Mio, but just call her Smith. She's not my favorite person either, but we can just make ourselves scarce." The Haruno amended, turning on her heel to pick up the small paper resting on the metal table. Her eyes scanned it twice, then thrice, before giving it up to Sasuke.

His Sharingan glanced at it before he gave Naruto the slip. "We should be at headquarters for an assignment."

He made to leave, but Sakura stopped him. "Actually, Sasuke-kun, I was thinking that we... wouldn't have to take any missions."

He paused at this, looking backwards at her. "What are you talking about?" He accused sharply, before lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. "We're here to gather information, how else will we do that?"

"I don't know yet, but it's too risky. What if the jobs we do here and for Konoha clash? What if we don't have any transportation? What if-"

"- _Nothing_ is certain, so let's get a job. We'll figure all that out later." Sasuke interrupted her with a tone of finality and turned to leave, but Sakura grabbed him again.

 _Why was she always like this?_

"Sasuke-kun, promise you'll tell us before you choose a job." She stared him down, unwavering in her statement. Yet another appearance of the thing he hated _so much_ and admired about his female teammate.

He didn't understand. Couldn't he still make decisions on his own? Immediately, he was bitter. " _Why_ should I have to-"

 _"Promise."_

Sasuke gave Sakura a look of exasperation and familiar annoyance. "I promise." One could tell by his tone that he was not-so-subtly mocking her, but no matter. The Uchiha turned on his heel and left for the HQ without a second glance.

Sakura watched him go for only a moment before following at a distance, Naruto by her side and cursing out Sasuke under his breath. Why was the Uchiha so rebellious? She didn't think she was asking so much, it was for the good of the team. Are all Uchihas like this?

 **'Considering Itachi's moody behavior, there's a chance.'**

The Team headed to HQ in an angry silence, and as they emerged from the dimly lit tunnel they found themselves in a new universe.

Older, masked soldiers bustled around, some lounging in front of bulletin boards and others rushing around with stacks of papers and folders, keeping everything in order. But most of them were holding some sort of scroll in their hands and emerging steadily from the double doors at the end of the large room.

Sasuke wasted no time looking around in awe, making a beeline for the doors and his other teammates hurried to flank him.

When the Uchiha put a hand to the door, ready to push, it was opened from the other side.

By Sai, a black-rimmed scroll in his white hands. He looked through Sasuke with that dead expression only he could truly pull off. Sakura's breath hitched seeing him again like this.

Sasuke in turn didn't say anything, sidestepping to let him pass but not taking his eyes off the boy.

As Sai walked on past, he caught eyes with Sakura. Something flashed across his expression, too fast for her to catch, before it blanked once more and he was gone.

"He looked like a ghost," Naruto commented offhandedly. "Someone needs some sun."

The pinklet ignored the boy and passed through the doors, mind racing. What was he here for? Was that scroll for a mission? What kind of missions does he take?

 _Who's waiting on the other side of that door?_

 _'Ugh, my mind is failing me...I could have sworn he told me about these things, I'm such a bad teammate for forgetting.'_

 **'Your brain deemed it not worth remembering, not you.'**

 _'Are you not my brain?'_

 **'...well. I like to consider myself your conscious.'**

 _'Aren't you the one always convincing me to do unethical things?'_

 **'I'd also like to not be interrogated!'**

"I've been expecting you."

Sakura's eyes focused once more on a much more heavily covered, lean man standing in the corner of what she had to assume was his office. His voice was deep and husky, but she knew he wasn't Danzo. Relief ran through her at that.

He turned to them, dressed head to toe in black cloth and a porcelain, ANBU-esque mask covering his features. Through the holes, she could see glints of his brown eyes staring back at them unblinkingly.

"I'm not one for pleasantries, as you see. Take it and leave," he said, gesturing to a trio of white scrolls sitting atop the corner of his mahogany desk. "Fill it in by this day of next month and turn it in to the Missions Quarter, not necessarily as a group. Then, and only then, will you begin taking missions. If you fail to adhere to these orders, well. Your punishment will be issued accordingly." Team Seven had already approached the desk and snatched up the scrolls as the man briskly ordered them out.

 _[Restart]_

Leaving as soon as they came, the three spilled out the double doors, already deep in hushed conversation.

"I don't care what he says, we should turn these in together," Sakura decided.

"I don't think so," Sasuke objected. "We're in enemy territory, that's all we really know so far. Getting in and out then reporting to the Hokage with the info is our top priority; it'll take longer if we idle."

"We can't afford to lose sight of the fact that this is a three-man operation," Sakura reasoned with him. "Besides, enemy territory is all we really know, but what if the Hokage secretly constructed all of this himself? A village secret? What would we have to tell him other than the fact that we clearly did something we shouldn't have? We don't know these people or their objective; strength in numbers."

"We'll be in numbers nevertheless, but we don't have to take the same jobs. Spread our horizons for different perspectives," Sasuke shot back.

Naruto looked between the two as they argued about the best plan of action, and whether a team would be better than a lone man.

If he didn't know any better, he'd say they'd done this before.

Nowadays, they seemed to be in an _on and off_ relationship; buddy-buddy one moment, then fighting verbally the next, occasionally physically. Even Sasuke and he's relationship is steadier ( _despite the fact they're almost never buddy-buddy_ ).

As he thought earlier, they quarrel like an old married couple, and they make up almost telepathically. Like with that look they gave each other earlier.

But for some reason, he pondered as he walked ahead in silence as his teammates bickered, he couldn't shake the feeling that there is something _bigger_ going on. Something they're not telling him.

And despite all of Sasuke's secrecy, he found more suspicion in Sakura, more than ever nowadays. Her sudden, overnight change of perspective wasn't at all expected and while he loved all the attention and he was beginning to think of her less and less romantically, he had a feeling that there was more than what meets the eye when it came to her change of pace, and that Sasuke was involved. Heavily.

The Jinchūriki narrowed his eyes at the thought. He'd investigate later; if it was something juicy, he was _not_ going to left out of the mix.

 _[Restart]_

Even after all their arguing, the two never truly met eye to eye, and the discussion ended up being dropped without a decision made.

Flexing his fingers impatiently, Sasuke walked through the empty halls, the early time of day keeping people stagnant.

Focusing on the sound that echoed on the walls as his sandals hit the concrete floor, he balled his fists. It was _Sakura_ , of course.

Before he joined the team, he took answers from _no one_. He didn't say thanks or apologize or give out nice gestures or spend time with fangirls. He didn't care about anyone else. He couldn't _afford_ to make bonds.

Before he joined the team, Sakura was frail and demure only around him and would beat any others black and blue if she had to. She didn't talk back, she didn't object, she didn't speak her mind whatsoever to him, she couldn't fight, and he was fine with that.

Then he joined the team.

Somehow, the girl grew on him.

And it was so _unbelievable_ that the only viable option meant an imposter, but he also didn't want to believe he'd been buddy-buddy with an _imposter_. It frightened him to his core when he realized how _relieved_ he was that she wasn't. With all her secrecy, paranoia, unexplained occurrences and bossiness, he was relieved and continued to stick around.

She's gotten stronger. In the blink of an eye, she knows all these techniques, has all this knowledge, has all this medical ninjutsu. In the blink of an eye, she began to catch up to him.

And he'll be _damned_ if he lets someone like _her_ catch up to him.

He'll be _damned_ if he lets someone like _her_ distract him from his goals.

Sooner or later, his brother's head _will_ roll. And if Sakura keeps him from it...

Well. That's a train of thought for another time.

The sound of his footsteps was distorted by the sound of another's, longer and slower, and when he looked up from his hands, he saw an old man walking down the opposite side, chin up and back straight. His right eye was obscured by bandages and his right arm rested in a makeshift cast made by his black robe that effortlessly touched the ground. Underneath his frowning mouth, a crisscross scar resided.

The Uchiha had never seen this man before, and he never forgets a face. And why is he in this area, anyway? This is for undercover agents, isn't it? All the soldiers he glimpsed at earlier were young and nimble.

Alarmingly fast, the man caught his gaze. Sasuke didn't like the way his eyes sharpened as soon as he caught sight of him. Maybe he's a _pedophile_.

In that case, he should probably run.

Just as he was scanning for the nearest exit, the man spoke in a gruff, low tone. "I know you, boy."

Sasuke froze, and wondered just how many people recognize him from the streets. He should start wearing a mask in this place. But he won't hint him. "Oh yeah? I don't know you."

The man didn't smile, nor laugh or make any indication he heard him. The hungry look in his eyes spoke enough. Sasuke felt a chill go down his spine. Was this man _really_ a pedophile? He spoke.

"Danzo Shimura," he said.

 _"But you call me Leader-sama."_


	19. nineteen

**HEY GUYS! Oh wow, its been ages, i'm so sorry. Life has given me quite the punch to the gut, but i'm here and just in time for Easter! Consider this a holiday gift, friends. Hopefully, i'll be able to start writing more often.**

 **—Restart—**

 _"troubles"_

 _"Ack!"_

"Naruto-kun!"

The blonde in question rolled clear across the dusty, dry ground, picking up sand and debris on his way as he screamed. Hinata was quick to go after him, squeaking as though she could feel his pain when he finally came to a stop, pushing away dust clouds to kneel by him.

She frowned, bottom lip trembling and white eyes glossy. "Naruto-kun...are...are you-"

"That. Was. _Awesome_!" He exclaimed as he sat up quickly, grabbing her by the shoulders in his excitement. Her objection clogged her throat as blood rushed towards her face. "How'd you do that, Hinata?! Will I be able to do that?!"

When she didn't respond, head lolling and face fire engine red, he went through the same routine they went through nearly every day they trained: take her to the river, splash her gently, and keep his distance till she rouses.

When it worked( _eventually_ ), he sat her up as she wiped her face with the hem of her dirtied beige hoodie. Uncharacteristically, the boisterous blonde waited patiently for the girl to gain her bearings before asking his question again.

"So, Hinata, will I be able to learn a move like that?"

"W...with enough p-practice, I know you can." She gave him a timid, tiny smile before standing up. "My family taught me the move; I-I didn't take to it very w-well, though, so you're j-just going to have to learn what I k-know..."

"I'm sure you're a natural at it, Hinata! Teach me!" He said, standing up himself and mimicking the battle stance his training partner stood in.

And so, time flew.

Naruto struck the air with his open palm again, and toppled over onto the floor as he misjudged his reach.

Naruto struck the air with his open palm again, and was blown backwards onto his behind by the output of chakra.

Naruto struck the air with his open palm again, and he saw the air shift as his chakra ran through it, disrupting it. He whooped in joy, flailing happily across the clearing.

Hinata grinned at his accomplishment. "I knew you could do it, Naruto-kun!"

He let out a bashful laugh, rubbing the back of his head as his cheeks dusted pink. "Thanks, Hinata!"

The two sat by the edge of the water, bare feet burrowed into the small amount of sand and sipped at their respective canteens in silence, watching the morning sun reflect across the gently splashing lake with a white, sharp light.

Naruto spoke up after he finished yet another gulp. "With this move, I'll be unstoppable. Not even the _bastard_ will try me!"

"...is t-that why you asked to train w-with me?" Hinata asked quietly, almost rhetorically and gripped her canteen a bit harder.

"I won't lie, that's definitely a factor, 'ttebayo," Naruto said honestly, swaying side to side leisurely. "But it's also because you're one of the strongest people I've ever met. Sure, you're dark and weird, but powerful. And I admire that."

Hinata's eyes got progressively bigger as he spoke, but she miraculously didn't faint from euphoria. Rather, a wide Naruto-esque grin spread across her pale face, which she hid behind the lining of her hood. "You...you really t-think so?"

"Of course!" Naruto exclaimed exuberantly, not looking towards her and unknowing of how much that comment meant to her.

"You-your team dynamic m-must be _amazing_ , Naruto-kun," The Hyuuga commented offhandedly. "Well, mostly!" She giggles into her hand at the remembrance of all the fights picked with Sasuke, and all the fights lost.

The boy's smile widened a bit at the thought of his pink-haired teammate. "Yeah, mostly," he responded with a small laugh of his own as they fell into comfortable silence once more.

Everything is going his way. While Sakura may never be able to return the already dwindling feelings he had for her, she was more than willing to apologize and up the ante with his training. While she was adamant in not letting him skim over the essentials, they didn't waste time like in Wave, and he even learned faster. He's sure the next time he tries walking on trees, he could even start breakdancing on his way with confidence he'll stick.

Even with Sasuke, his relationship is better better( _albeit not by much_ ). It seems the argument they had back at his mansion has been almost completely smoothed over and ignored, and each day during elemental training they even squeeze in a spar or two, and Naruto's not sure if he's imagining it, but he's pretty sure Sasuke is tweaking Naruto's moves and stances to perfection mid-fight, moving his arms and legs just an inch or two to a more comfortable position, blocking his punches slower than he might have normally as if showing Naruto how it's done properly. It's just a hunch though.

"Naruto-kun?"

The boy in question turned his head, looking at Hinata's worried face. "What's up?"

"Y-your eyes glazed over. D-do you want to s-stop training for the day?"

He hid his contemplative face with a million-watt grin.

"What? No _way_! I'm just getting started!"

 _[Restart]_

Nanami let out a low growl of annoyance as Nami nipped restlessly at Sakura's exposed toes. "Calm yourself, child! Sakura is busy." Her imperious tone bellowed a chastising at her offspring.

"But _mother,_ Sakura said she'd play with me!" The growing pup whined, looking up expectantly at Nanami.

"It's fine, Nanami-sama. I'm pretty much done, anyway," Sakura amended, hopping off of the surface of the crystal-like pond with Nami padding behind her excitedly, chakra balanced precariously along his paws.

"You baby him, Sakura! He needs to learn _respect,_ " Nanami argued when the human girl reached down to run her fingers in Nami's turquoise salt-and-pepper fur. He barked with joy, and bucked happily against her hands despite his mother's pointed words.

"You're too hard on him, Nanami-sama! Live a little!" Sakura laughed as Nami tackled her to the ground and licked her face.

Sakura comes here often to relieve pressure, train in secret and to confide in her canine friends. While they're not her legal summons, and she would never abandon Lady Katsuyu, it's much safer and easier to use Reverse Summoning and come here to Mizuppoi rather than the Shikkotsu Forest.

She's been making monthly excapades here ever since coming back in time and long before that ever since she found this pair being abused by their old, now deceased summoner. First it was to check on them and nurse them back to health, but soon her once short visits lengthened and she'd talk with Nanami-sama for hours about anything, and even went to clear her head for what felt like days on end. It was her only real escape from the war at that time, but she had brought no one; swore not to.

She doesn't know how, but Sasuke found her. He found _them_.

The future version of this beautiful watery terrain has been ravaged by the Uchiha and his lackeys, Nanami and Nami narrowly escaping his unrelenting clutches. Sakura was only so fortunate that this place was reset along with everything else but their minds stayed intact in some impossible miracle of creation.

Based on this, there was a way to bypass the physical and psychological effects of going back in time even if the fuinjutsu pattern wasn't drawn out with your chakra system in mind. Could it be due to their connection as summoner and summon? The blood and chakra bond they shared? Or was it all really just a fluke?

It made her wonder if there were others that came back with her.

"I've lived quite enough, thank you," the mother wolf drawled. "If anything, I should be saying that to _you._ With all this stress, you're going to get gray hairs, you know."

The Haruno rolled her eyes when she finally managed to wrestle Nami off her small form. "Once you go back in time with the fate of the world as we know it resting on your scrawny shoulders, we'll see if your fur will get any grayer than it already is."

"If you're implying I'm old, don't forget I can still beat the stars out of you."

With bare feet and a pup at her heels, Sakura padded towards Nanami, who lounged on a boulder near the sandy edge of the shallow forest. "In all seriousness though," the pinkette began, "I'm at an impasse. With several things, actually."

"I'm listening," Nanami beckoned as she laid out on the large rock leisurely just as Sakura sat with her back against it on the sand. Nami curled himself up between Sakura's outstretched, scraped legs, breathing evenly.

"Well...for starters, training. Like I told you before, the Chūnin Exams have been postponed due to some kind of theft I still haven't looked into. Kakashi's gone on some mysterious mission and left us with some work, but even that isn't going anywhere. All I can really do is basic conditioning here, and research to get an internship at the hospital. Maybe I'll try and find another mentor, but Tsunade's out of the picture and I can't really think of anyone who I can stand who'd be willing to take me. Except you, of course."

Nanami didn't say anything, but made an encouraging noise.

"Next would be this underground association I've found. It's gotta have something to do with ROOT, _Sai_ was there for goodness' sake! I still don't have much information, but as Naruto, Sasuke, and I go on our first assignment I'm sure we'll have an inkling as to what exactly is going on. Maybe we should have just left the photos in Wave..."

"Who's to say you all have to take a job together? Wouldn't it be better if you divided to cover ground, especially in a spy-esque organization like that?" Nanami mumbled, beginning to drift.

Sakura chuckled darkly. "You and Sasuke sure do think alike."

"Don't compare me to that scum of the earth." Nanami rebuked sharply, her mood darkening at the thought of him.

Sakura looked down in a bout of shame. "...sorry, Nanami-sama. I know he ruined you and your people."

The large she-wolf sighed exhaustedly in a way befitting of her years. Sakura felt a surge of sympathy to the hardened warrior laying above her; having to endure the destruction of all her people and her only known home, then being forced to reside with an abusive summoner just to stay under the radar and doing this all with a small pup of her own.

Her own problems would never compare.

"Sasuke and I used to get along. During the Wave mission, we trained together nearly every night and looked out for each other. We bonded more than we have in, well, _years._ It was the last time I had serious improvement. And now..."

Sakura sighed at the mere thought. "And now he suddenly doesn't trust me. Ever since we got those stupid photos. I can't tell you exactly when it started, but he's gotten aggressive and defensive. And he refuses to tell me why, playing charades with that stupid stubborn attitude. We don't agree on anything and only rarely have a civil conversation. Even the other day, he...ugh. Why can't he just understand the concept of teamwork? Of a group effort? I swear, he finds a reason to accuse me every _other week!_ Sorry, I'm rambling."

Nanami ignored her apology and voiced her inner thoughts. "I'm sure if in a position like yours, knowing what the world will soon be in a little less than an decade he'd feel that sticking together as tightly as possible would also be optimal."

"Exactly! Which is _why_ I-"

"- _but_ he's not, so of course he believes that you should divide and conquer. Any general worth his salt would believe such a thing."

"But that's the mindset of someone accustomed to working alone. That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I just-" the pinkette sighed again, this time much harsher, irritated at the reminder of current events. "For starters, I want to better my relationship with him. What he needs right now is a teammate."

"...what if instead of a teammate, all he's looking for is a _friend?_ "

Sakura twisted her head towards Nanami, surprised at the gentleness of her usually coarse tone. Nanami met her gaze with icy cerulean, but motherly eyes. "Sakura, you know how I despise him, but you said you would change him. He's clearly lonely. His family is gone and whatever's left has turned on him, even if it was a farce. He has enough pity, enough sympathy and fangirls. What he needs is not only someone who covers his back, but someone to confide in and lean on in his times of need."

Sakura was stunned. "That's not my mission. It's not my objective, I-"

"If you're so emotionally stunted you can't make a friend, despite him being so callous, you might as well give up your mission altogether. Going undercover requires charisma and quick thinking; not to mention the strength to hold up a web of lies."

Sakura didn't say anything to that, and looked downwards in surprised shame.

"Sakura." The girl in question looked upwards once more. "You can be many things. A fangirl, a colleague, even a lover. But if you can't be a friend, even if you're a fake one, you need to re-evaluate the role you want to play in that Uchiha's life. In anyone's life."

Sakura didn't acknowledge that statement. What was she to Sasuke? What did she want to be?

...she _wanted_ to be a confidant, a shoulder to lean on. A teammate.

But maybe she needs to reach farther than that.

 _[Restart]_

Sasuke stared at the unrolled scroll before him laid neatly on the spruce desk he sat at, several boxes devoid of information. Ink in hand, he debated whether or not he should just go for it.

Every time he thought about his reason for hesitating, every time he thought about _Sakura_ , his stomach burned unsettlingly.

After he took that walk in the underground hallways, he was forced to face the truth. There were many things he didn't like about his pink-headed colleague. She was impulsive, softhearted, _way_ too family-oriented and unusually defensive about seemingly trivial matters. As _if_ he couldn't tell she was lying to his face at times. She had no care for her own well-being and her mood and actions were tied to a loose leash.

And yet, she seemed to be able to connect with everyone she met and twist matters into her favor; not only was she charismatic enough, she had the sudden, almost overnight strength that increased every day to stand up to those who opposed her. Reckless yet calculating, lenient yet merciless.

She was, in a word, confusing. Almost as if she was trying to be someone she's not.

Are all girls this indecisive?

And now, here she comes again, a new obstacle to face and another one of her foolhardy ideas. He hated how bossy she was, as if he was supposed to follow her every command. He hated how much of a know-it-all she was, he hated how manipulative and sly she was. He hates her distracting hair and too-bright smile. He hates her emotive eyes and the way he loses composure so easily around her. He hates how she suddenly became so strong, while he's spent _years_ honing his skills to be the best of the best.

He hates her so much sometimes. He just want to compartmentalize her; she fits in none of his labeled boxes like everyone else seems to. She's a completely different opponent and he doesn't know how to counter her.

No. No! Why should he have to follow her rules? He's gotten by just fine on his own so far; she's not about to get in his way.

Sasuke glowered deeply as his pen glided across the gritty paper. He wasn't a maiden in need of protecting. He was an Uchiha, the best of the best.

If Sakura has any issues with that, she'll just have to talk her way out of it like she does everything else. She won't be holding him back.

Rolling up the scroll with haste, Sasuke got out of the chair and slipped on his sandals, taking the rooftops to get to the old weapons shop.

 _[Restart]_

"...what?" Sakura blurted, mouth moving faster than her thoughts because she couldn't _quite_ believe what she was hearing.

The forgettable hospital receptionist laughed at her confusion and repeated their instructions. "Haruno Sakura, if you would please make your way to the Head of Toxicology's office, please? I've been told to direct you if you ever appeared here. Down two floors, take a left and at the end of the hallway with the blue door."

They gave a reassuring smile, but Sakura only heard half of their directions. Toxicology? What could they _possibly_ want with her? She knew it; she hasn't been covering her tracks well enough. Could it have been on the bridge? Sakura's memory of that event is still pretty fuzzy in some areas. Has someone sensed her Yin Seal?

Has Kakashi figured her out? Are they going to be running tests on her?

Reflexively pressing her thighs together, she gave the receptionist a tight smile before making her way down to the Toxicology Unit; she remembered the path, anyway.

Sakura came here for old time's sake; she knew she probably couldn't score an internship, but still wanted to visit and inhale the familiar scent of sharp sanitizer and bleach, and run her hands along the sterile white and mint green walls.

Instead, she ended up here.

Knuckles hesitating for only a moment before rapping against the blue door, Sakura didn't wait long before a voice she recognized all too well rang from the other side of the door.

"Hello? Come on in."

Sakura's blood ran _cold_ and her brain stuttered in surprise. Her body tensed like a steel rod and she found it hard to breathe. Memories she believed to be fully repressed resurfaced from long ago. Sasuke's Curse Mark. The invasion of the village. _Orochimaru._

Sakura realized then that she had been ignoring a quickly approaching and very dangerous threat; a threat that if not extinguished, could potentially collapse everything she's worked on till this point and drive Sasuke, her only bargaining chip, over the edge and right into _his_ hands.

"Hello? Is someone out there?"

 _Kabuto._

Sakura pushed the door open, anxiety gone and replaced with an empty, sallow feeling as she saw his young and curious face peer at her own from behind his round-rimmed glasses. The Haruno was careful to keep her chakra in check; around him, even the slightest off vibration could alert him to something he doesn't need to know. She schooled her features and gave him a polite smile, approaching his orderly desk. "Sorry. I was told by the receptionist the Head of Toxicology wanted to see me?"

She died a little inside as he gave her one of his own, but it just looked so obviously evil. "Ah, yes. That'd be me; please take a seat!" Sakura's body seemed to turn into lead as she dragged herself into the chairs each moment unnecessarily slow and cautious as her eyes never left him.

There was only a moment of awkward, strained silence before Kabuto spoke up again. "I've heard about your great healing works in the Land of Waves. I must commend you for the way you handled the situation in the town and on the bridge; you fought bravely."

Immediately, Sakura was plagued by paranoia. A sliver of reproach and blatant disrespect seeped into her tone as she was on the edge of snarling, "How'd you get that information? That's an A-Ranked mission, I wasn't aware you had the clearance for that."

"The Sandaime released the details of the mission and the mission report in the papers shortly after your return. You were a special case, you know; as far as I can remember you're still classified as C." Sakura's face almost burned with embarrassment at the _'light'_ reprimand in his tone.

"I was impressed. Someone like you, with such a vast knowledge of diseases and illnesses and toxins that can't be treated with such primitive equipment, would be a great fit for my Unit, don't you think?"

 _Is he suggesting what I think he's suggesting..?_

Kabuto went on, the smile in his tone getting wider with each word. "You'd have to start off as an intern first, of course, but I'm sure with someone as much medical prowess as you could easily rise the ranks and-"

"No."

The smile on his face disappeared instantaneously, replaced with a look of surprise and( _hidden so very well_ ) disgust. "No..? I don't believe I understand."

Uppity jerk. Sakura elaborated in the most even tone she could muster. Hell would first freeze over before she'd ever willingly put herself under this snake's thumb. "...Eh, Yakushi-san, is it? I'm sorry, but Toxicology is not my intended field of medicine; I'd much rather work in the ER or ICU. And while the experience looks pleasing, I'd rather take a straight road to my goals than curve unnecessarily."

Kabuto got real quiet, leaning forward on his elbows so close she could feel his breath on her face before muttering in that low voice of his, "People who take the straight and narrow no doubt hit a road block, you know." Sakura tensed like a tightly wound string and her eyes began to follow his every move, till he finally relaxed and slid backwards in his office chair. "If you don't want my internship, that's fine," he amended, giving her a disarming grin.

Sakura was not amused. Not after his little show. "Thanks for understanding." She responded, voice flat and monotone. "I'll be going now, if you don't mind."

Sakura needed time to think. She was so stupid, stupid! Why'd she leave him till now? As her hand brushed the knob, she swore, and will still swear she heard Kabuto muttering, "You'll be mine someday... _whether you want to or not._ "

Sakura wasted no time getting back to the ground level.

 _[Restart]_

The licking flames crackled and snapped and sputtered in the dry cave Kakashi took camp in. He looked into the glowing heat, the light it gave off illuminating his unusual somber face and the gleam of his upright headband and lone red eye. His body was wound up and tense, and he fingered three kunai in each hand. If he heard even the slightest rustle, he would rise and attack.

Licking his lips from behind his mask, he tried not to drift into his thoughts. He's been out in the wilderness for a few days now and while the silence doesn't usually get to him, the speech the Hokage gave him before asking him to depart on this surprise mission spooked him.

 _The already old Kage seemed to age even more as he sat with his chin rested atop a wrinkled palm, staring at his for once clear desk with distracted eyes. Kakashi has been standing there obediently for what felt like hours, and brought his eyes back into focus as Hiruzen finally looked towards him. "I'm sure you've heard about the theft, Kakashi," he began on a severe note, lips pursed seriously._

 _The Copy-Cat Ninja could sense it was a rhetorical question, so didn't respond and waited for his leader to continue. Eventually, he did. "On the surface, it seems as though the Tower was infiltrated and a document important enough to cause a village-wide lockdown was stolen. Underneath the surface, however.." Sarutobi began._

 _"I ordered a trusted operative to fake a theft in order for me to observe something else that I can't currently disclose to you at the moment. Everything was supposed to go smoothly and the deed had been finished."_

 _"If I may, my Lord.." Kakashi started, "if that's the case, then why were the Chūnin Exams postponed and rescheduled for a time months away in a different village? Wouldn't we have kept things under wraps and not have canceled the Exams?"_

 _"That would have been the case, if everything had gone smoothly," the Sandaime responded. "I don't know how yet, but disguised beneath the ploy there was a real theft that was only discovered the morning after. Several important documents had gone missing, and the most worrying is that they were all related to the Uchiha clan and even the autopsy of the night of the Massacre. It's all gone; every single Uchiha file we have. Except one, the file of Sasuke Uchiha._

 _"Even more suspicious, the missing-nin Uchiha Itachi has appeared on our radar after years upon years of silence. It's too close. I don't know what he is planning or what is going on or if this is even a coincidence, but I need to find out. I'm sending you on a one week mission to investigate the areas we've spotted him; if you encounter him, do not engage. If you take longer than a week, I'll have no choice but to pronounce you missing and if longer, dead. Report to me immediately upon return. Don't contact anyone."_

Kakashi was tempted to rub his eyes, but forgo the action in favor of scanning he mouth of the cave again. Uchiha Itachi? The Hokage was right, there was no way that was just a coincidence. He's been expertly covering his tracks for the last 5 or 6 years ever since the Massacre. The chance of him coming back to finish the job is too scary for Kakashi's conscience as the boy's teacher and too scary for the village as the last loyal Uchiha's life is being once again threatened.

Anyway, Kakashi hasn't seen anything from anything since coming out here. He's checked the last few areas Itachi's been spotted but no one was there and there wasn't a single sign of his appearance.

But in his gut, and his gut was never wrong, he knew something was off. Something...something just wasn't adding up. Of all things to snag, files of a long deceased clan? And then the killer of the clan suddenly appearing, almost on purpose? Even if Itachi was the one to take the files, what's his business with them?

What would cause him to start to care?

There was a rustle from outside the cave, and Kakashi's eyes snapped towards the sound, a kunai involuntarily slipping through his fingers and piercing the bush near the cave's entry; _it was just a bush._

This time Kakashi did close his eyes and rubbed them tiredly as water began to well. He was too paranoid, too tense. He needs to unwind, if only for a second.

As he peeled his eyes back open, he noticed a pair of sandals before him that weren't his, visible toes painted a deep iris.

Kakashi's eyes immediately darted to his own sandals and willed them not to move.

"Itachi," Kakashi said lowly, eyes still trained on his feet. The Copy-Nin's heart began to uncharacteristically race at the disadvantage he found himself at.

"Kakashi," Itachi murmured. The boy-now-man's voice had deepened quite a bit and rasped in the half a decade it's been.

Kakashi tried to focus, but he couldn't believe what was happening. Itachi Uchiha, a man capable of taking out an entire clan full of elite ninjas under moonlight that essentially disappeared off the face of the earth the last 5 years and only suddenly appearing now of all times?

Could it be... _genjutsu?_

As discreetly as he possible could, Kakashi disrupted his chakra and assessed the surrounding area for a change. Nothing shifted or warped out of existence. He must've broken through whatever spell Itachi put him under.

Unless...it was unbreakable.

Just as Kakashi pushed chakra towards his eye in preparation to utilize his gifted Sharingan, Itachi kicked his chin, forcing him to look up before the tomoe even had the chance to spin. Caught completely off guard, Kakashi couldn't stop himself from staring into the boy's eyes as they bled a rich red, twisting into the Mangekyou Sharingan.

 _[Restart]_

Sakura ran from the hospital in a fervent sprint, spilling into the bustling marketplace before jumping onto the nearest roof, panting heavily as her heart beat with terror.

 _'I can't believe it. Kabuto.'_

 **'We should just kill him and be done with it!'**

 _'No, that won't work. Orochimaru's right hand man wouldn't fall without a fight, and definitely not with leaving a trap behind.'_

 **'If you're saying we are just going to ignore him...'**

 _'That's not what I'm saying, but we really have no way to keep an eye on him. Ever since coming back, we haven't done anything but bond with Sasuke!'_

Sakura's eyes stung as the wind whipped her face. This was a mess!

 **'We should visit Ino again. It worked last time, right?**

 _'No. It worked, but we need to do something productive...I'm gonna visit Sasuke again before our group training.'_

 **'..I'm not sure that's such a good idea.'**

 _'Well, today it's gut rather than head. We're going, Inner.'_

Sakura leaped off the shingled roof of an apartment complex and reached the floor in a flawless roll before righting herself to jog towards the Uchiha Compound once more.

 _'I'll make it up to him by cleaning his zen garden. Hopefully it won't take long.'_

Sakura smiled to herself as she imagined the hopefully grateful and forgiving look he'd give her when finished. Maybe he'll even hug her!

She giggled childishly. As _if!_

 _[Restart]_

Sasuke handed the filled Scroll to the leader in the mask. They made no indication of thanks, and as soon as they took the Scroll they sat behind their desk again before the neatly stacked paperwork and set back to work.

Talk about dismissive.

The young Uchiha left the office in silence. He could already imagine the headache Sakura'd give him when she finds out he turned it in on his own. He didn't care, though. He wasn't about to bow down at her every wish.

As he neared the double doors leading to the exit, his pale forearm brushed up against a paler one.

Snapping his eyes over, he almost flinched seeing the Ghost Boy from earlier staring through his soul with those eyes blacker than his own and skin like fresh snow. You could almost clearly see the blue veins from under his skin. A total freak show.

"Watch it," mumbled Sasuke, as the boy raised a hand in what may have been at attempt at an placating gesture, but his blasé attitude begged to differ.

This time, Sasuke noticed a green scroll clutched in his raised hand, and a long table and wide bulletin board behind Ghost Boy with even more scrolls of multiple colors. His brows furrowed with interest. "What are those?" Sasuke asked the fair-skinned boy, jabbing a finger towards the desk.

"Missions desk. Take a scroll fitting of your capabilities and register your assignment." Ghost Boy answered, tone clipped but strangely not annoyed.

Sasuke's brows furrowed more. Intriguing. "Thanks," he muttered before pushing past the white-skinned boy towards the desk. Approaching it, he found there were several different kinds of missions up for grabs, all labeled based on rank, time, and your own strengths and weaknesses.

Sasuke's eyes scanned the scrolls before locking onto a blue one labeled 'High C-Rank'.

He could easily complete a decent B or even A, but decided to play it safe.

Grabbing it and unrolling it, he read the debriefing.

 _Rank: High C_

 _Time: 3-5 days_

 _Strengths: Trade, Political Relations, Defense_

 _Persons: 2-6_

 _Travel to the border of Sunagakure and accept medication and toxins from Otogakure's trade squad and release crates of pre-concocted poison vials and antidote. Sign treaty for continued trade and travel back to HQ. Do not provoke Otogakure Ninja in any way._

"You're going to do that all on your own?" Sasuke was shook out of his reading by the drab but sassy tone of Smith, uncomfortably close. Was this girl really from here? She was so different from all the other drones that marched the halls.

Then again, the same could be said for himself.

"What's it to you?" Sasuke responded with effrontery, mouth sharp.

"Hold your horses, cowboy. Aren't you gonna be lonely? I can provide excellent company~!" She responded suggestively, scooting closer if even possible.

He _knew_ something was off was this girl. Just one of the many that deluded themselves into an attraction. After giving her the death stare, she finally backed off.

"But seriously though," Smith started casually, "Trade Missions around here are no picnic. This ain't the surface, pretty boy, this is the underground. And things get _rough_ in the underground."

Sasuke's eyes widened at that, turning to her. "This is an _illegal transaction_?" He asked in thinly-hidden wonder.

"Most things around here are," she said. "You're green, though, so I don't blame ya. Good luck with that, I guess. Tell your squad I said hi, ' _Raven'_."

Rather than burning at the obvious jab, Sasuke watched her retreat into the crowd and looked down at the scroll again in silence.

 _[Restart]_

Sakura hummed pleasantly to herself as she moved the rocks around and around and around, and raked with only the _most_ precision. Kami was on her side; she was able to jump the fence to the yard so not to break anything or alert Sasuke that she's here if he's inside.

There's no doubt she's been working on this tirelessly for the last hour or so. It took awhile to decide on the new pattern, but finally she settled with a charming, convoluted cherry blossom. That way, he'd know immediately it was her work!

But just in case there was doubt, she wrote a small heartfelt note of apology and set it on the porch for him to see as he walks down. You never know.

The Haruno was almost done; she was ecstatic thinking about repaying him for her damages and his potential reaction! This whole time, she's been fantasizing about his different responses.

They'd finally be ' _cool'_ again, and she'd be able to focus her full attention onto other, more important and impending issues.

Sakura continues humming a tune, working in rhythm with the beat, and the entry door opened from the other side of the house unbeknownst to her.

As she finally finished with the zen garden remaking, Sakura snuck inside to the house to search for anything that needed a cleaning. She wiped many surfaces and uprighted some books as she made her way through the house.

Soon, she stumbled upon a room with the door fully open. As she was about to close it, she noticed the a chair further into the room facing away from the desk it was probably supposed to be tucked under.

Striding into the room, she pushed the wheeled chair underneath the mahogany table. Her eyes caught a few papers laid astray on the same table. As she tapped them onto the table to order them, she examined the room.

It wasn't the biggest room in the house, but definitely not the smallest. Other than the desk and door, everything else was pretty as a picture. The black-sheeted queen bed in the corner was folded to perfection, the closet was crisp and closed, and there was nothing out of place on the floors or walls. Only a rug and a lamp on the nightstand.

 **'Must be an untouched guest room, or something.'**

 _'Yeah.'_

Sakura set the papers to the corner of the desk, and a glint on the nightstand caught her eye. Padding over, she spotted a picture frame that she didn't see before from behind the lamp. Her eyes widened.

It was the team picture Squad 7 took when they first formed.

It was exactly as the one from years ago, in her own time, if Sakura's smile wasn't a little smaller this time around. She was tempted to let out a bittersweet chuckle.

Wait.

What was this doing in a guest room? Wouldn't he have just thrown it away otherwise?

Sakura looked around the room again. While devoid of life, there were several aspects that weren't resembling a stranger's abode. On the desk, those papers were notes taken from scrolls, presumably those talking about lightning. There were several old-looking boxes underneath the bed, and with further inspection, one box even had a worn green dinosaur plush. And there was no reason for the door to be open unless the mess was recently made.

Gears began to turn in Sakura's head. This didn't feel right, not at all.

 _Is it possible, that this could be-_

 _"What are you doing with that?!"_

Sakura turned around in frightened surprise, still clutching the dinosaur and saw Sasuke standing in the doorway, the most furious she'd ever seen him.


	20. twenty

_[Restart]_

 **Hey! I'm back with another chapter of —Restart— after a LONG wait. Sorry about any spelling or grammar mistakes in advance. Since summer break has officially started for me, I'll be able to post more frequently, so look out for that!**

 **Have a nice read!**

 **Mild expletive warning.**

 _[Restart]_

 _Soon, she stumbled upon a room with the door fully open. As she was about to close it, she noticed the a chair further into the room facing away from the desk it was probably supposed to be tucked under._

 _Striding into the room, she pushed the wheeled chair underneath the mahogany table. Her eyes caught a few papers laid astray on the same table. As she tapped them onto the table to order them, she examined the room._

 _It wasn't the biggest room in the house, but definitely not the smallest. Other than the desk and door, everything else was pretty as a picture. The black-sheeted queen bed in the corner was folded to perfection, the closet was crisp and closed, and there was nothing out of place on the floors or walls. Only a rug and a lamp on the nightstand._

 ** _'Must be an untouched guest room, or something.'_**

 _'_ Yeah.'

 _Sakura set the papers to the corner of the desk, and a glint on the nightstand caught her eye. Padding over, she spotted a picture frame that she didn't see before from behind the lamp. Her eyes widened._

 _It was the team picture Squad 7 took when they first formed._

 _It was exactly as the one from years ago, in her own time, if Sakura's smile wasn't a little smaller this time around. She was tempted to let out a bittersweet chuckle._

 _Wait._

 _What was_ this _doing in a guest room? Wouldn't he have just thrown it away otherwise?_

 _Sakura looked around the room again. While devoid of life, there were several aspects that weren't resembling a stranger's abode. On the desk, those papers were notes taken from scrolls, presumably those talking about lightning. There were several old-looking boxes underneath the bed, and with further inspection, one box even had a worn green dinosaur plush. And there was no reason for the door to be open unless the mess was recently made._

 _Gears began to turn in Sakura's head. This didn't feel right, not at all._

 _Is it possible, that this could be-_

 _"_ What _are you doing with that?!"_

 _Sakura turned around in frightened surprise, still clutching the dinosaur and saw Sasuke standing in the doorway, the most furious she'd ever seen him._

 _[Restart]_

 **—Restart—**

 _"promises"_

 _[Restart]_

Sakura's mind blanked when she saw him. So her theory was proven correct; this was Sasuke's room.

And here she was, invading yet again.

Wasting no time, Sasuke lunged for the Haruno, but she was quick and jumped for the opposite wall of the room. Being extremely nimble, the Uchiha morphed into a forward roll to steady himself into a crouch before her, eyes ablaze with wrath. "Put it down!" Sasuke commanded her, but Sakura didn't move, pressing herself up against the wall. She looked into his eyes, which bled into a familiar, enraged red.

He pounced for her with an incensed battlecry, and this time Sakura only barely dodged, diving downwards and manuevering herself to skid along the hardwood floor with her bicep, which moaned with irritation.

Staggering to her feet, she tossed the plush item towards her teammate and clutched her stinging arm. "Take it!"

Sasuke wasted no time in grabbing it from the air and holding it against his chest defensively. The pinkette could see the single tomoe in each of his eyes spin in a frenzy. He jabbed a finger towards the door, and spoke with clenched teeth.

 _"Get. Out."_

Sakura blinked with uncertainty. "I need to talk to you, though-"

"I'm _not_ gonna say it again, Sakura."

The girl in question had only heard him say her name with such utter reproach a select few times, and her heart ached as he did it again. She knew he truly wasn't going to say it again. Even as she said her next sentence, he began his stalk towards her.

"Sasuke, _please_! We need to-"

Sasuke took hold of her wrist, insanely tight, and Sakura withheld a whimper as he began to drag her out of his mansion, stretching her skin uncomfortably.

Pushing her feet into the ground with chakra, she didn't move a step further and Sasuke began to painfully yank her arm. "Sasuke I'm sorry, I am! Can we just-"

"Sorry? You're _sorry?!_ " He screamed at her, finally losing his composure. "How can you be sorry when you're always messing things up and butting in? Constantly sneaking around and keeping useless secrets and wasting everybody's time? How can you be sorry when, _even now,_ you're overstepping your boundaries?!"

Sakura did let out a quiet whimper this time. Is that what people thought of her? "I-I didn't know it was so important to you-"

"Don't _fucking_ touch what isn't yours! You thought I wouldn't see? The pills?"

"Y-you saw that?"

"How is it fair can you snoop around my house and I can't ever get answers from you?!"

Now, Sakura began to anger. He talked as though he isn't withholding countless things from her as he speaks, as though he hasn't had his own tantrums and as though he hasn't wasted precious time refusing to work with Naruto and her. And, as usual, he only thought of _himself,_ no one else!

Her fingertips pulsed with chakra as she delivered her rebuttal. "I'm not the only one keeping secrets, Sasuke, and I'm _definitely_ not the only unstable and impulsive person on our team! _You_ have held us up just as much, if not more than I have, and _I_ have always got to clean up your messes and be expected to listen to your every word! Every moment I ever spend with you, there's always a complication, _always_ chaos, and I can't _stand it_ anymore!"

Sakura pushed chakra to her wrist, forcing Sasuke to lessen his iron grip. She quickly took several steps back into his house so he wouldn't grab hold of her again and lowered her tone. "Sasuke, I'm trying. I am. I want to be there for you; I want to be a good friend." At ' _friend',_ Sasuke stiffened. "I'm sorry, but...there are just some things I can't tell you yet." Inwardly, Sakura cringed; she had seen this from miles away. Someone would start asking questions without answers.

But did it have to be _him_?

"Why not?" Sasuke said, softly yet clipped. His voice was hoarse from his incessant screaming. He sounded...defeated. "We're supposed to be _teammates_. Isn't that what you keep shoving down Naruto and I's throats? And yet you can't explain why...why all of this is happening? To me?"

An image of Sasuke, a different Sasuke, flashed across Sakura's mind's eye. Looking at a younger him, she nearly shuddered at what he could become, _would_ become if she didn't succeed. If she didn't shut him out.

 _'He just..._ can't _be trusted. I don't know if he ever will be.'_

"...you have to trust me. Please, just for a bit longer. I'll explain to everyone in due time, just..." Sakura sighed as the words she wanted to say got stuck somewhere in her throat. "...just know all of this is for your sake. But have faith in me, I beg of you." Sakura looked at him tensely from afar as he seemed to stare right through her, expression dead.

It seemed like an eternity before he finally spoke, impossibly quiet. "...you know, I put faith in my brother, too." Sakura's eyes widened a bit. She didn't expect him to talk about his past. "I bet everything on him. I idolized him; there was nothing he couldn't do. Look where that got me, an entire clan short with a vendetta. I have no reason to trust you. I have no reason to rely on you. I have no reason to pin my hopes on you."

"But that's what trust is," Sakura reasoned. "Depending on me despite what your heart and head says. And I promise, you won't regret it." Sakura's took several reckless steps forward. Her fingers inches to hold his hands in her own. She stared at him pleadingly, and he looked back with jaded eyes.

Eons passed before he spoke. "Stay out of my house. I don't care your reasons, you're not sneaking in here under any circumstances."

Sakura's demeanor instantly brightened. "Yes, of course! Does this mean..?"

Sasuke's brows furrowed at the open ended question and his eyes shut, but his face soon smoothened in defeat. "I guess I've got my own secrets; you're entitled to your own."

For the second time, Sakura crushed her body against Sasuke's in an impulsive hug, and for the second time he froze up like a marble statue. "Oh my god! Thank you!" Sakura exclaimed, holding him close in pure delight. Somehow, she was still safe. "You won't regret this, Sasuke-kun," she whispered against his firm shoulder.

He pushed her body away and held her at a distance with his arms. "Don't get the wrong idea," he warned, but quite non-threatening as he was still rattled by the squeeze, "This is only a temporary privacy. You're gonna come clean sooner or later, all right?"

Sakura blinked at him. "Only if you do."

He was visibly confused. Inwardly, Sakura found it rather cute. "What do you even want to _know_?"

She smiled at him teasingly. "Sorry, that's confidential for the time being. We've only got a few months before we head off to Suna; are we really gonna waste it arguing?"

Sasuke smirked like he always did, setting the green dinosaur plush unto a nearby coffee table. "If that's the case, let's find Naruto and get to work." Unconsciously, he held out his hand to her to take, looking at her expectedly, still simpering.

Now it was Sakura's turn to freeze as a blush threatened to creep up her neck. "What are you doing..?" She whispered, so quiet she was(almost)surprised when Sasuke's keen ears picked it up.

He didn't seem to realize what it seemed to be, even now. "Hn. For some reason, I doubt you could navigate your way through this place on your own." He said with chaff, referencing her previous wandering. Without waiting any longer, he reached forwards and took her hand in his, leading her through his house with ease.

Sakura's eyes had yet to shrink. His hand was predictably larger than hers, noticeably scarred and beaten from vigorous training, yet warm and dry. Glancing upwards, she stared at the back of his head, unabashedly moving them both forward, to a new stage in their relationship.

Naively, she wished they could stay like this for a little longer.

 _[Restart]_

"There's something I'd like to talk about."

Sakura worked on the Burst Technique that radiated offensive lightning chakra from the surface of her body, and was lightly shocked as she couldn't properly die it down when she heard Sasuke's sudden statement.

At the sound of Sasuke's voice, Naruto's concentration was interrupted and the Retrieving Wind Technique dispersed into a light gush of air and the canteen Naruto was blowing towards himself fell from midair, crashing down and spilling its contents everywhere. "My _water_!" He screamed, rushing to upright it.

"What a moron," Sasuke muttered to himself as Sakura sat down beside him onto the grass, reaching for her canteen as static rose strands of hair on her head. Naruto followed glumly after her, only able to retrieve less than a fifth of his water.

"Could we talk about the...t- _'thing_ '?" He ground out the obscure name begrudgingly. Naruto and Sakura immediately sobered, watching him attentively. It wasn't often Sasuke wanted to just talk, especially about this.

"What's up, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura encouraged him lightly, handing Naruto her canteen so he could replenish his own.

"...I went back there, and turned in my form."

" _What_?" Naruto and Sakura chorused in an outrage.

"Sasuke, we were supposed to do that together! As a-" Sakura's indignant voice chimed in, before she was cut off again by Sasuke.

"' _-As a team_ ', I know. I wasn't exactly in the best state of mind a few hours ago, but let's move past that for now. On my way out, I passed the Missions Desk and saw a scroll.

"At first, I figured I could complete it on my own and recruit a few of those underground shut-ins to go with me to meet the criteria. Then Mio— _Smith?_ —whatever she's called, made me rethink."

"...so what are you saying?" Naruto egged Sasuke on, subdued and brows furrowed as he began to put together the pieces.

Sasuke reached into his hip pouch and revealed a simple blue scroll labeled ' _High C-Rank_ '. Before he could set it down on the grass to open it, Sakura grasped his wrist with a feather-light touch. As he looked up at her, he saw her face twist with worry. "Sasuke..." she began, but he stopped her.

"Hear me out first," the Uchiha reasoned as he unrolled the scroll and allowed them to soak in the contents. He spoke as they read. "It won't take that long, it could all be over with before Kakashi comes back. It's a simple take-and-receive operation, there isn't even mention of bandits or enemy ninja. And as a plus, we'd be able to head over to Sunagakure and see what kind of environment we'd be dealing with in a few months. I looked a little more into it; this 'thing' has a few plants in the above-ground Ninja ranks to take Genin on Jounin-accompanied Missions, which happen so often with people our age no one would look twice at three of us leaving the village for a few days. Nothing to lose, everything to gain."

"Things could go south, as they always do," Sakura reasoned despite his logical points. "I don't think we should risk something like that without proper supervision."

"But we will have proper supervision, won't we?" Naruto responded. "At least, that's what Gramps will think. I think the underground weirdos aren't messed up enough to throw us into the line of fire, either. They all seemed pretty tight with each other. If we're lucky, we could even skim some goods off the top and research what we're trading so we can learn more of this organization." Naruto made a rare good point that Sakura couldn't refute in time.

"Either way, this should be a group decision," Sasuke steered them back on track. "All those in favor, raise your hands."

Predictably, Sasuke and Naruto's hands went into the air. They both turned to Sakura, who glowered at them before raising her own hand unenthusiastically.

Naruto clapped his hands together, excited at the prospect of the agreed upon mission. Sasuke turned to her, giving her a smirk that leaned onto a smile. "Thanks," He said simply.

Sakura didn't quite get it, uncapping her canteen unconsciously. "For what?" She inquired as she took a small sip of her ice-cold water.

"For trusting me."

 _[Restart]_

Kakashi's eyes were heavy with fatigue and crusted shut, and yet he managed to peel them open ever so slowly. He rolled from his side onto his back, and that was when he noticed the obsidian grassy field he lay in.

Just as his Sharingan was revealed, Itachi had a katana to his jugular.

"Make no move," the Uchiha warned. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Kakashi was silent, giving no indication he believed that, but stayed still. The weapon was retracted. In the Copy-Nin's peripherals, there was a black wooden cross with latches to hold a man's wrists and ankles. With alarm, he realized that's where he should've been.

Jumping to his feet, he got into a fighting stance before Itachi's relaxed demeanor. "Get me out of here," he commanded.

"...not yet, but soon. I just have a few inquiries," Itachi responded silently, and sat onto the grass, motioning for Kakashi to join him. The man in custody suddenly noticed Itachi was without the heavy cloak of the Akatsuki, unlike old reports would describe him.

Keeping his guard up, Kakashi sat down before Itachi, who nodded with approval. "Have you noticed the Nature Chakra's recent strange behavior?"

Instantaneously, Kakashi was perplexed. "Nature Chakra? It's been strange lately?"

Paying no heed to Kakashi's question, Itachi asked another of his own. "Have you been in contact with Tsunade Senju, or anyone else with the capability to form a Yin Seal?"

"What's been going on with the Nature Chakra?" Kakashi backtracked. "I'm sure the Hokage or someone else might have said something sooner if it were dangerous."

"Answer the question," Itachi steered him back.

"...no. Tsunade has been out of the village for years, along with Shizune. The only-..." Kakashi stopped himself halfway from mentioning Sakura. He didn't want to drag her into whatever... _this_ was.

Of course, Itachi noticed. He only narrowed his eyes suspiciously and asked his final question.

"Lastly... _do you believe in the concept of time travel?_ "

This time, Kakashi was the one to narrow his eyes. "That's ridiculous. The theory is there, but it's impossible realistically for several reasons, everyone knows that."

"...and those reasons?"

Kakashi was intent to get out of here, so he played along. "Firstly, the actual time travel. Two of the same person in the same time period at the same time, or being switched to the other's time period. Secondly, their purpose time traveling. Everyone knows the do's and dont's when one has finally traveled back in time. And third, it takes an extreme amount of preparation and studying everything under the sun to complete something like that. And of course, how to get back to one's own time period with or without reversing everything already done in the past or causing a chain reaction to change the future."

Itachi was silent for several minutes, mulling on this information and mumbling to himself. "I'll have to ask Shizune next..." he said, inwardly checking Kakashi off the list of people to contact. The man in question tensed up again, and just as he ever so silently slipped a kunai into his hand, Itachi's genjutsu vanished.

Suddenly they were in the cave again, Kakashi's chin scraped and bleeding with the fabric of his mask ripped from the skin as he sat before Itachi. "Forget about this day," Itachi muttered and grabbed Kakashi's face with his hand, and being disconcerted the man could do nothing but stare as he suddenly forgot the happenings of the last few minutes. Simultaneously, Itachi pushed medical chakra from his palm to Kakashi's chin to heal the simple wound.

As Itachi vanished into thin air, Kakashi leaned back onto the cave wall, rubbing his bare, mask-less chin. How'd that happen?

He spotted a stray shuriken near his thigh. He must have sheared it off by accident; he was pretty jittery.

But even so, he couldn't shake the feeling he's forgetting something. Something dangerous.

 _[Restart]_

The night was still young, but the village was mostly asleep other than the occasional gush of disrupted wind from a passing shinobi and the flicker of shadows beneath stuttering street lights.

In an undisclosed location, a ninja silently flickered into the darkened corner of an office, wearing the garb of an ROOT operative. Wind passed silently through the dusk. The sound of papers being tapped into a semblance of order on a wooden desk was heard and a table lamp was flicked on, illuminating the face of a very familiar, weary old man. He didn't acknowledge the elite ninja's presence, seemingly talking to himself. "Any info on the Uchiha?" he murmured.

The man stepped out from the shadows, revealing his toad-esque mask and lean build. "None yet, sir. At least nothing we haven't already gathered. It's presumed Hatake-san won't make it back to the village before the end of his week; drastic measures might have to be taken." The elder behind the desk let out a light breath from his nose, refraining from tapping his finger on the desk in thought.

"...what about the two plants in the Youth ROOT Division?"

"They still haven't made any outrageous moves, but there is evidence of the two gathering data to be used against the program."

"Anything else conspicuous there?"

"Yes sir. There was a team of three recently admitted into the program, but they didn't match the profiles of the three that were supposed to be admitted. Ever since, those missing three haven't been seen anywhere."

The man's brow furrowed in thought. "...and the profile of the admitted three?"

The ROOT agent obliged easily. "The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, pure blond, blue eyes, birth-given marks on each cheek, short for his age and wears a remarkable amount of orange. The ' _Last Uchiha_ ' Uchiha Sasuke, black hair and dark eyes, tall for his age and wears navy blue; information on his doujutsu is nil. And lastly, civilian-born kunoichi Haruno Sakura. Longer pink hair, green eyes, wears solid red and white. Nothing conspicuous about her. They're Squad Seven of the recently graduated academy students."

"...and Kabuto?"

"Yakushi hasn't made any moves other than claiming a role of authority at Konoha Hospital's Toxicology Unit. Orochimaru has not been spotted, nor the other Sannin."

"Good," the man said, and resumed arranging his papers. "Make sure this...' _Squad Seven_ ' stays in line, along with Yakushi and those plants. In fact, give those two a little ' _reminder_ ' of their place in all this. Make sure to track down those missing agents."

"Permission to gather a squad?"

"...permission granted."

The ninja bowed low. "I will begin my assignment. I will not fail you, Danzō-sama."

The man in question rested his elbow on the pristine desk and held his jaw in his palm, angling his subject with a sinister stare. "You wouldn't dream of it."


	21. twenty-one

I **know it's a day after, but still. Happy birthday, Sasuke!**

 _"Won't you tell me about her?"_

 _Despite the black scleras and the even blacker pupils, Sakura was still able to make out his eyes widening before he feigned ignorance. "Who are you talking about?" He questioned from a tree branch as Sakura did pull-ups from her own branch several feet in the air._

 _Sakura had barely broken a sweat as she continued her workout and responded without missing a beat. "Rin."_

 _He visibly hesitated in speaking, and there was a thick silence for awhile. Sakura backed off. "...hey, you don't have to tell me. I was just curious."_

 _Obito ran a hand through his short black hair and another over his distorted face. "No. No, I can. I should."_

 _He sat down onto the tree, legs swinging over the edge of the thick branch. Sakura propelled herself onto the bark to sit next to him. "She was...amazing. If you asked Kakashi or Minato, they'd have said the same thing," he began, a half-smile on his face. "Extremely proficient in the medical arts, even at such a young age, unbelievably caring and selfless, witty and intelligent. Beautiful," he carried on, almost wistfully._

 _Despite everything the Uchiha had done in the not-so past, Sakura's empathetic heart ached in his stead. What a beautiful soul. And now...gone. "Obito...you do know that-"_

 _"I'm aware she committed suicide," he assured Sakura. "I no longer blame Kakashi, or anyone else but myself. But I'm already dead, so what else is there for me to do?"_

 _Tentatively, the Haruno placed a hand on his broad shoulder. "I'm sorry."_

 _He shrugged her off, standing to his feet. "The past is in the past. Now, all we can do is focus on the future."_

—————————————————————

 **—Restart—**

 _"ambush"_

—————————————————————

The crunch of her singed toast broke through the silence of the dinner table, but Sakura was too used to the... _unpleasant_ taste of her mother's cooking at this point to even flinch as she gnawed at another corner, mind elsewhere.

Her stomach twisted with worry. Soon, she'd be meeting at the gate with an older person she's probably never seen before to depart on an illegal trip three days to Suna and back even faster. Her mind couldn't stop creating scenarios in which everything that could go wrong did, and in the worst way possible. What if the Suna ninja lash out? If Naruto says something stupid? Maybe it's not even the destination that will do them in, but the journey. What if they're attacked by rogue ninja, or Konoha seeks them out because they knew they left illegally? She could be thrown out of the ninja program, along with the boys! She'd end up failing her mission...

Sakura bit into her toast so hard her impacting teeth seemed to creak.

How did she let Sasuke talk her into this?

"Sakura, dear?"

At her voice, the genin in question's eyes focused, and locked onto her mother, peeking her head out of the kitchen. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Inwardly, Sakura frowned at the reminder. "Yeah, I'll be going now." Sadly, she was forced to cross paths with her mother on her way to clean her plate, who assaulted her with a bear hug and several quick kisses. Even now, a war later, it was embarrassing.

" _Stop_ , Ma! I gotta go!" The pinkette wrestled out of her mother's grip and slipped on her sandals. "Good luck! Stay safe!" Her mother followed her out the door and yelled reassurances from their porch as Sakura ran off.

—————————————————————

Having known the route by heart, it didn't take long for Sakura to reach the village gates, early as always and the summer sun beating down on her. Sadly, her paranoid thoughts occupied the empty space around her once more. Maybe she should just back out. They have the minimum amount of people already.

She threw away the notion almost immediately. Sasuke and Naruto were essential in her mission, and she should keep eyes on them at all times. Plus, she was the only healer of Team Seven. If they died because she refused to show, she didn't know what she'd do.

The Haruno cradled her face in her hands, sweat rolling down her fingers from her forehead. She can only hope the heavens will be on her side through this one.

"Sakura!"

The girl in question's head flew upwards and her hands parted to look at the owner of the voice. Her lips parted in surprise as she saw Smith and her brother— _what was his name...Philip?_ — bounding towards her. Upon closer inspection, beneath their mission gear were bandages and bruises. Where did they get those?

In a lowered voice, Sakura asked, "What are you two doing here? Our squad is about to leave on an ' _underground_ ' mission! And what happened to you?!"

"Oh Sakura, don't be silly!" Smith answered audibly, poking Sakura's nose. The gesture wasn't appreciated. "We're coming on the mission with you! Didn't you see the form?"

She didn't. Sasuke turned it in himself, but their names weren't on the scroll before. Sakura's voice lowered dangerously. "Don't fool around, what are you up to?"

Predictably, Smith's eyes dulled and smile dropped ever so slightly. "We can't stay there. For the time being, at least. Someone.. someone is looking for us again. Gave us a little ' _reminder_ '," she explained dryly, wiping at her irritated, blood-encrusted nose. "We're tagging along for the mission, and then Florence and I-" _Florence_ , that was his name, "-will be out of your hair."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "And if we don't want you to tag along?"

Smith's eyes glinted with something cruel. "The hell is it to you? There'll be a paper trail if you refuse us, and then the higher-ups will give you a ' _reminder_ ', too. I'm sure of it," sneered Smith, before she turned sharply on her heel. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun!"

Just as Sakura's glare left her face, Sasuke's own appeared at the sight. Suddenly in a vicious speed walk, he drew closer fast. "Get lost." he said, seemingly casually.

"It'll be a lot worse for all of you if we did," she said with derision, clucking her tongue contemptuously. All of a sudden, he grabbed the girl's arm, and in retaliation Sakura grabbed Sasuke's. "Sasuke, she'll _blackmail_ us; get us kicked out of the program." His grip tightened and Smith flinched. The Uchiha glared at the mysterious girl. "And _she'll_ make a mess of things; can't you see it in her eyes?"

"Look, I already told Sakura we wouldn't do anything. The higher ups are looking to take us out, we just need to stay out of reach till they calm down!" There was a worried inflection to her voice a liar couldn't fake. Sakura cut in, prying Sasuke's hand away with her chakra-infused ones. "Higher-ups? What do you mean?"

"I don't know, but whoever it is has got info. They're coming for us."

"Who's coming for us?"

All eyes snapped to Naruto, disheveled and who clearly hurried over here. His eyes were wide and curious, and they sharpened into a neutral scowl as his eyes landed on Smith.

"Nothing," Sasuke said suddenly. "What took you so long?" He redirected the conversation. Instantaneously, Naruto started yelling at Sasuke. Sakura focused on Smith again. "What do you mean ' _they're coming for us_ '?"

Smith's lips were sealed, though, and before Sakura had a chance to pry further a figure in standard Jounin gear leapt down from the treetops before the five teens. As the person straightened, Sakura recognized the blank expression of a ROOT operative.

"Genin mission squad consisting of Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Mio and Sota; all gathered for a High C Trade and Defense assignment."

The group quieted at the random ninja's appearance. They must be their escort.

"No objections? Good. Let's move."

As the teens trekked behind the operative before jumping into the trees, Sakura felt nauseated. Now she had another thing to worry about.

Whatever this ' _they_ ' was planning, and whatever they knew about Youth ROOT.

—————————————————————

Being a typical summer day, the dark quickly fell upon the traveling group of miscreants, but only when stars blanketed the sky and the feet of everyone ached for rest did they stop and set up for the night. The unreasonable pace of the escort ensured that they'd arrive and leave Suna before the sun goes up.

If all goes according to plan, of course.

Sakura adjusted the bundle of sticks in her arms and peered through the forest, spots of the grassy floor illuminated by puddles of moonlight that seeped through the leaves in the treetops, but otherwise black as crude oil. She could only imagine how the trade would go down tomorrow morning. All the Haruno can do is hope for the best, and that everyone comes out unscathed.

Sensing the chakra signature before they arrived, the pinkette turned to see Naruto walking up to her, only visible due to the blinding vibrancy of his attire. "Hey," she greeted casually.

"Hey," he said in turn. "What were you guys talking about earlier? At the village gates?" He suddenly burst out. "To be honest, not knowing has been kind of bothering me."

That's right; for whatever reason, Sasuke diverted Naruto's attention before he could ask what was going on. The boy was just as entitled as Sasuke and her to know. Sakura spoke in a hushed voice. "Well... turns out someone is after Smith and Florence. Who they are and why the two are being pursued, we don't know yet. I can only hope it won't interfere with our own plans."

Naruto's brow furrowed at the news. "Now I'm kind of glad I didn't have to think about that this whole time. Hey, what are you doing out here anyway?"

"Well, I figured I could gather some firewood since this area so close to Suna has pretty cold nights. You know, just a small fire."

"I don't know about that; escort dude has already made himself quite comfortable with his own fire-free accommodations."

The Haruno suddenly let out a breathy laugh, and Naruto chuckled alongside her. Abruptly, there was the sound of several snapping branches and an unmistakable thud of flesh. Sakura reached out with her chakra, but whatever signature that may have been there disappeared. Both teens' necks whipped over to the sound, but Naruto was already on the chase with a firm command for Sakura to stay put.

Quickly, Naruto disappeared along with his own chakra signature. The girl in question considered following him, but figured if he got lost she'd be better a beacon to lead him back than to get lost with him.

So she stood in the leaden forest in awaiting silence. Until, a chakra signature appeared on her internal radar. Not Naruto's, but still unmistakably familiar.

A mental image of being strung up on a Tsukuyomi cross passed along her mind's eye.

 _Uchiha._

Whipping her head to the left, she could see the outline of a man. No doubt tall, lean, and dressed in black from head to toe. But his eyes...

Even from so far away, the lustrous ruby irises seemed to captivate her into a beautiful lie; a genjutsu.

Or would have, had Sakura not instinctively turned away at the sight of him, eyes tightly shut. No; she knew he was scheduled to arrive soon, but that was for Naruto. Maybe he plans on taking Naruto now? If so, Sakura needs to warn the boy posthaste.

As air gathered in her lungs to screech the blonde boy's name, her name came out of another mouth.

"Sakura?"

" _Itachi?_ " She wheezed out and barely coherently, air escaping her all at once as she slowly turned...

To see a different Uchiha. Sasuke, peering at her curiously from a distance, and the other nowhere to be found. "What are you doing, standing in the dark all alone?"

 _All alone_. Sasuke didn't see Itachi, thank the heavens. Just as Sakura was about to respond, Naruto jumped down from the black of the treetops. "I didn't find anything out there," he reported.

"So you heard it too, huh?" Sasuke said, almost to himself. He lightly shook his head and faced his teammates again. "I don't think it was anything serious; come on guys, we need to get to sleep early if we don't want to pass out tomorrow." He turned on his heel, and as Naruto and Sakura followed, the aforementioned female gave one last wary glance into the dusk behind her before turning away, just knowing in her gut that something was off.

Itachi Uchiha was _just_ standing there, and she was sure of it.

—————————————————————

Jirōbo steadied his breathing and glanced at Kidōmaru, perched back onto the top of a tree and chakra signature all but nonexistent. The spider-esque man had no apologies to give. "Next time, try moving your bulk out of my path if you're going to stop and feed. Maybe I wouldn't have pushed you."

the portly ninja only sighed, not one to get angry. "I'm not bothered by the likes of _you_ , Kidōmaru."

"Well, I am!" Roared Tayuya, squatting on a branch and seething without regard for her volume. "It was like an earthquake when you hit the ground! Why didn't you try at all to balance yourself before our cover was blown?!"

"Your screechy voice could move mountains all on its own," Sakon muttered with quiet disapproval, closing his mouth when Ukon gave him a pointed look.

Tayuya was milliseconds from laying into him before Jirōbo cut in himself. "He speaks the truth, Tayuya; lower your voice before the orange child appears again and-"

"Shut _up_ , you fatso!" The masculine girl silenced him with a sentence as the admittedly large man glowered.

"All of you, quiet."

All of the hushed ribbing melted away in an instant; even Tayuya kept unnervingly quiet.

Each of the four turned to the voice in the darkness, and each imagined Kimimaro's relaxed yet polite posture, leaning slightly on the tree trunk but eyes still impossibly acute, and staring into each of their souls. "Orochimaru-sama trusted you four to complete this task on your own; I'm scheduled to leave after you arrive in Suna for a prior commitment to him. Complete your task quickly and in an orderly manner, for every distraction is disrespect to his orders, therefore a disrespect to _me_."

There was a bone-chilling undertone in his words. None of the four made a move to retort.

Kimimaro's neutral expression didn't change. "Good. Be ready to leave at dawn; you need to take the place of those desert black hats before the squad arrives. And there's been a change of plans."

Kimimaro made a move to retreat. "Grab the Uchiha and get out of there."

This time, Tayuya spoke up. "What happened to the original mission where we take both of their drugs and hang them out to dry?"

"Orochimaru has gotten word that the Chūnin Examinations have been postponed dramatically; therefore, our original plan to conquer Konoha has been put into jeopardy. As far as we know, the only thing salvageable from the situation is grabbing the Uchiha, and now, despite the means."

Tayuya ventured another question. "...and what happens after we nab him?"

Kimimaro gave her a peaceful smile. "Orochimaru will talk with the boy civilly and convince him to join us; from what we know, all he wants is power and where doesn't matter."

Ukon frowned and spoke for his brother. "What if the boy doesn't agree?"

"Well, slap a curse mark on him till he can't do anything but agree, or dies in the process!" Kidōmaru cackled.

Tayuya let a cruel grin infect her lips. "Now _that's_ more like it!"

—————————————————————

The next morning came all too quickly for Team Seven's liking, although the others more adjusted to the underground life made no complaints, and the group was on their way to Suna once more well before sunrise.

As Sakura hopped from tree to tree, daylight still nowhere to be found, an apprehension settled in her gut. And her gut wasn't usually wrong.

 _'Was I right earlier, then? Will something bad happen on this trip?'_

 **'We can't know for sure until it does. Till then, keep your guard up.'**

That's right. There are a lot of key events that were postponed along with the Chūnin Exams; at this point, anything could pop up trying to make up for lost time. And if that's really true, then...

There were incoming dangers approaching for both Naruto and Sasuke. As the image of Itachi sprung to the forefront of her mind, she shuddered.

God forbid she doesn't protect them with all she has.

"We're here." The orotund ambassador stopped the childrens' pursuit with an outstretched arm, and they halted in silence several feet above the meeting site, still empty of the Suna traders. They waited in stiff silence for what felt like hours before the escort jumped down from their perch and into the dry, sand-riddled clearing, the five teens following their moves.

"Where are they?" Sakura heard Smith mumble beneath the guise of a passing wind. Sakura could ask herself the same thing. Aren't these illegal rendezvous supposed to be pretty smooth and fast arrangements? Glancing over at her teammates, she saw Naruto looking around curiously and worriedly, and Sasuke, eyes closed and arms crossed, clearly impatient.

Then, the Haruno was struck by a thought.

 _'Is this all before or after Orochimaru kills the Kazekage?'_

 **'In other words, before or after the snake started preparing to conquer Konoha?'**

And if this is true, and her previous theory was true, the only one in danger right now is...

The Haruno's stomach dropped to her sandals.

 _"Sasuke!"_

Just as the Uchiha's eyes snapped open in alarm at the uncharacteristically agitated wail, his vision was obscured yet again by a sticky silk web splatting over his eyes and mouth.

Judging from the angle, everyone looked up to see a spider-like man with several tanned arms running down the sides of his torso hanging from a branch with one hand and mouth hanging open with a lolling tongue, clad in a gray rag-looking cloth, tied to his body with a thick purple rope. His eccentric form was mostly a silhouette in the dark.

Sakura hasn't ever seen him before, but his looks match a description given to her. Kidōmaru of the Sound Four.

As everyone stared trepidatiously, Sakura only glanced before she leaped for Sasuke's disoriented form, heart hammering. Her fingers barely grazed the thick material of his turtleneck before he was pulled into the dark woods at unbelievable speeds from behind; he was only visible for a moment before a fog obscured him.

A scream threatened to rip from Sakura's throat, but instead she bit her lip so hard it bled.

 _No. They're coming for him so early!_

All her panicked thoughts suddenly died down to a low hum in her subconscious. The only thing she could clearly hear...was Sasuke.

She needs to find him.

As soon as the Haruno moved to recklessly bolt off into the black, her wrist was suddenly attached to a tree trunk and held steadfast due to a splatter of webs. "Now, where do you think you're going, little miss?" Instinctively, Sakura piled chakra around her webbed hand, and the intricate design exploded around the appendage, freeing her in milliseconds.

As soon as the pinkette was finally able to break out into a run, webs constricted her movement, around her calves and feet, and she tumbled to the forest floor. And this time, Kidōmaru was sure to overcompensate.

"Sasuke! _Sakura_!" Naruto shrieked in panic, before rounding on the culprit. "What's your angle?!"

Kidōmaru only snickered. "I guess I'll entertain you; Uchiha's just heading off for a little heart to heart with my boss, you see. Depending on how he answers our questions, he'll be back eventually."

"And what kind of questions are these?" Smith ventured, kunai already in both her and Florence's fingers.

The spider-man sneered. "I'm not at liberty to say."

Even if he kept his lips sealed, events from the past— _and if Sakura doesn't hurry, the present_ —told her his answer.

Orochimaru's trying to recruit Sasuke into his ranks, capitalizing on the boy's insecurity and greed for power, when he will only be used as the snake's husk.

A surge of pure _hate_ rose in Sakura for a moment; hate of Orochimaru, hate of his lackeys, and hate for everything he did to turn life into a living hell for her and those around her, and her vision flashed red as the seal on her thigh flared with energy begging to escape.

"Naruto, hold him off!" She screamed before ripping through her bindings with chakra, pushing the energy through her legs as she leaped from tree to tree, desperately reaching out her senses to feel for the Uchiha's signature.

Sakura's been working with Sasuke _non-stop_ , but...

She still can't be sure he won't fall into Orochimaru's tantalizing trap.

It felt like eternity and a minute before she finally caught a whiff of a signature; oily and stiff with evil intent. Then another, more familiar one.

Sasuke's.

Running at speeds she didn't realize she could achieve, it was only seconds before she could see a lumbering figure, Jirōbo if she remembered correctly, leaping from tree to tree in the same garb as the spider, with Sasuke tucked underneath his large arm harshly, unmoving and limp.

Not dead, but unconscious.

That makes what's about to happen so much easier.

Her fist overflowing with chakra, she lunged to the ground from her perch, and it connected to the earth with a harsh crack. Trees were slowly but surely uprooted and tipped as the force of her punch split the ground wide open. Just as the towering figure was about to reach for the next branch, the entire tree unexpectedly toppled over and it was not long before he was careening towards the ground for a hard impact.

Sakura needed no time to recover, as she was before him midair in seconds, fist back and readied for a punch. This time, though, the man was ready and dodged the punch, but not the lightning fast kick sent his way immediately after. As the force sent him rushing forward into the fog, Sakura jumped from each trunk mid-fall in impulsive chase.

 **'You're using too much chakra all at once; _please_ watch your reserves.'**

 _'That's_ not _important right now!'_

The Haruno's eyes focused on Sasuke's still-comatose state, still stuck beneath a muscly arm. Even she'll admit, though begrudgingly that she was way overkill in her foolhardy, enraged onslaught. He was _still_ out?

 **'Maybe they gave him something.'**

Even the idea of a sedative added to her anger. Drawing out more chakra, she quickly gained on him, easily the slowest of the Sound Four. Rather than attacking him, she pried open his arm, and as Sasuke was released he began a boneless descent to the ground below. Just as Sakura was about to follow up her move, Jirōbo grabbed her wrist in a vice-like hold, and like a twig, snapped the bone.

Before Sakura's screech reached the air, the breath was knocked out of her as he swung her into a nearby trunk by that same wrist with unbelievable strength, amplifying the pain as her spine and ribs cried out in torment.

Slack, she peeled off the surface of the wood and began her own drop. As healing chakra coursed through her body Sakura managed to fling a kunai deftly to rip through the fabric of Sasuke's tee and pin him to a steady trunk before she found her footing on a branch, breathing labored as she may have pierced a lung.

Fighting would do her no good. She needs to grab Sasuke and bolt before the other two arrive.

Because if they do, at her current level, there's no way she'd walk out of that a victor, or even alive.

"Are you stupid?" A grating voice cut through her thought. The way Jirōbo phrased it made it seem like an innocent question. But the look he gave her was _so_ condescending. "You can't really think you'll win against me."

"Your bruises beg to differ," Sakura spat back immaturely, poison in her tone as she numbed her wrist and ribs. She easily got in several hits and even wrenched Sasuke away from him. "You don't seem like much of a threat."

Even so, she knew Jirōbo was stalling to catch his breath. Just as her, his goal was to leave here with Sasuke, and it must seem like he's at a disadvantage.

Little does he know, those three attacks depleted her reserves to less than half.

"When your head is severed from your body, maybe then you'll reconsider, little girl," he responded. "What's a girl like you even doing running around as a ninja when-" Sakura didn't bother letting him finish before she rushed for Sasuke. Being several branches below Jirōbo, even at his reflexive chase the Haruno still grabbed the Uchiha and began to turn tail before he could even touch her.

Or so she thought.

With both of her hands holding the significantly heavier Sasuke, she couldn't resist as she was held in midair by her long locks of hair, bunched close to her skull. Jirōbo huffed, sticking to the trunk by his feet with chakra. Such long hair for such a rookie? That was your first mistake." He bounced her up and down by her hair like a doll, which was blindingly painful as he pulled full tufts of hair from her head with the movement. Inwardly, she felt a bit of deja vu from the Wave mission. Reflexively, tears jumped to Sakura's eyes at the pain.

Sasuke was still out of commission in her arms. The only available option was becoming all too clear.

 _'...heh. I brought this upon myself.'_

 **'I don't understand why you thought it'd last.'**

 _'I don't know, I've just...always liked it longer.'_

With the relaxation of her fingers, Sasuke once again dropped downwards into the darkness, and with one fluid motion, a kunai was in her hand swinging towards her head in a familiar way.

Jirōbo hissed and wrenched his thoroughly cut up palm away from Sakura, who fell along with Sasuke into the abyss below him.

As she went, large locks of silky pink hair fell along with her.

Sakura didn't know just how far she'd cut, but unlike last time, she couldn't still feel the brush of her hair against her neck and shoulders. It must be a lot shorter this time around.

The pinkette forced herself to keep her mind away from it.

It wasn't long before she caught up with Sasuke, but Jirōbo was not far behind. "Full of surprises, aren't you?" He yelled as he fell along with her. Sakura paid him no mind as she swiped Sasuke out of the air once again. This time, she could feel him slightly stir and shift. It must not have been as strong as a depressant as she had thought.

As she quickly set him down to lean on the trunk of a tree from a branch, he fully awoke, obsidian eyes groggy, but focused on her own steely viridian. "Saku...ra..?" He whispered in his squint.

"Sorry in advance," she said to him. He wasn't able to respond before her palm slid across his face in a harsh slap. The red mark was already appearing on his pale skin. He took in a sudden breath, before the world seemed to focus around him. "Huh? _Sakura_?" Her face was mostly obscured by the night sky.

"Sasuke, you need to run. People are after you. Find Naruto, and keep your guard up until you do. He should be towards the north," she gestured vaguely where he should go. Finally, his black eyes sharpened. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine, now _go_!"

Spinning on the balls of her feet, Sakura jumped off the branch, leaving Sasuke with his orders. She knew it was impossibly risky to let him flee on his own, but is she didn't take care of Jirōbo now, he'd catch up to them later.

In a desperate last resort, Sakura took as much chakra as she could and gathered it once again into her fist. Her hand glowed blue with the force of it all, and even the air around her permeated with it. The infused lightning element made her hairs stand on end.

"Let's put all this training to good use!" She said to herself, pushing through the trees and the foliage and the heavy, dust-laden wind to see her opponent, his back to her. The only alert to her approach he had was the whistle of the wind splitting to make way, and as he seemed to slowly turn around to see her, eyes slightly wide, a loud crack reverberated through the empty space as she got a solid hit into his jaw, all her strength put into landing the punch.

The chakra was blown away by the force, visible wisps of blue disappearing with the sheer force of the resulting wind. Sakura knew as soon as she landed the punch the day was hers. The jaw is a KO point if hit hard enough; and she no doubt made it hurt. He was sent streaking through the trees' bark like a needle through water.

The moment he disappeared, all of Sakura's strength left her in one fluid motion, and she only barely had the strength to catch herself on a nearby branch, breathing heavily with air she couldn't quite catch and sweating profusely.

 **'Are you _insane_? What if he comes back?!'**

 _'He won't. I'm sure of it.'_

Black spots danced in her vision before the curtains closed on her consciousness.

—————————————————————

Sakura's eyes were crusted over with dried sweat, but her ears were open to hear the quiet bustling around her. Where exactly was she..?

Then, she remembered the events leading up to her knockout and abruptly sat up, " _Sasuke_!" ripping from her lips haggardly. As soon as she moved, a wave of vertigo crashed on her and suddenly everything didn't make any sense anymore, and she slumped backwards on her forearms, disoriented.

"Well, look who decided to join us," a decidedly annoying voice said, and as Sakura cradled her headache she finally peeled open her eyes to see her and Smith's teams under the cover of nightfall, but she knew they were a long, long way from Suna. The comment belonged to Smith, and despite her smirk Sakura felt as though she was deeply concerned. Florence was leaning over her with a wet handkerchief in his hands, probably about to lay it on her forehead, with an unexpected pink she couldn't see dusting his fair cheeks.

"Sakura-chan! You're awake!" the girl in question didn't need to know who the voice belonged to as an orange blur barreled into her, squeezing her tight. Sakura's eyes finally focused to see Naruto's broad smile from around her waist. He called out from afar, "Hey, Sasuke! Sakura's finally awake!" Sakura's ears rang at his yell and she groaned quietly.

The Haruno could see the Uchiha crest on the back of the boy's shirt from afar, but he made no indication he heard.

Naruto grumbled at the familiar behavior. "Ugh, teme!... _Sasuke_!"

The Uchiha jumped uncharacteristically and whipped his head around to face the two, irritation or annoyance void on his face, but rather genuine worry and curiosity. Rather than start an argument with Naruto, he just stared at Sakura for a prolonged amount of time before turning around again, evidently grinding his blades across a whetstone.

"...is Sasuke okay?" Sakura asked Naruto. He was always a quiet one, but this behavior was unusual.

Naruto huffed. "He's been like this since he found me at the clearing. Probably just shaken up."

Giving Sasuke another wayward glance, she was convinced that wasn't the case. She turned back to Naruto. "How are _you_? I left you all alone to fight that guy; I'm so sorry."

Naruto shook off the apology. "It was still four against one, so we were somewhat able to stall him. Eventually, he just stuck us to the ground and ran after Sasuke, too, but Teme reached us safely. And hey, maybe we should be the ones giving _you_ lessons on teamwork!" He joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Sakura forced a laugh out of her throat. Despite her broken wrist and bruised ribs, everyone knew they were in constant danger as long as those guys were coming after Sasuke. It was a miracle they all got out alive this time, licking their wounds in stiff silence.

"Right now, we're headed back to Konoha," Smith explained. "Sunshine tells me you can heal those wounds of yours, so we'll be leaving again in about an hour."

The Haruno's brow furrowed, and Florence placed another handkerchief to her forehead. She accepted it in earnest. "What about the trade mission?"

"The traders were probably killed by those ninja for a successful ambush. By the way, how'd you survive yourself? While the rest of us were fighting in a team, it was one-on-one with you and another ninja, and based on the sounds coming from the forest it must have been pretty heated." Smith's question was innocent, but held a weight she didn't know of.

Sakura sighed as she held the cloth to her brow, embarrassed to remember what she had done; losing her mind recklessly like that. In a real fight, she would've been toast. Luckily, she only needed to rescue Sasuke and get to safety rather than kill the man. Even now, her chakra level was at a dangerous low from her stupid thinking, and she could feel her Yin Seal flare from her leg.

[B]'I tried to tell you.'

[I]'Can it.'

Reflexively running a hand through her hair to arrange her thoughts, she was startled when her fingers stopped short. Ah, right.

"About that, Sakura-chan," Naruto started hastily. "You've always adored your hair, so...what made you do it?"

"Necessity," she responded dryly, not missing a beat. It was true. At her caliber, long hair was a death wish. She should've known the consequence would sneak up on her soon.

"Well, you cut it _way_ too short," Smith chastised lightly. "The only way it can be styled is in a pixie or, god forbid, a bowl cut. Pick your poison."

The girl in question sighed with genuine sadness, but wasn't able to focus on it. "...I'll get it styled back at Konoha." She responded absentmindedly. "I'm fine to move, I'll heal my wrist and ribs on the way back to Konoha."

Smith gave Sakura a dubious look, before agreeing. "If you say so." She ran off to find their escort, and Sakura let her tired eyes to travel to Sasuke's crest-laden back, before focusing on the trees above.

 _'They're still out there. They'll come back for him.'_

 **'Yeah, they will. And next time, we'll crush 'em.'**

—————————————————————

The hurry to Konoha was a silent and sneaky one, covering all their tracks to make sure the enemy nin didn't follow them back to their village, and each ninja was lost in their own thoughts, but each one revolved around a certain Uchiha, or in Sakura's case, two.

Somehow, they made it back to the village by midnight of the next day, and the entire trip miraculously took only 3 days to complete, despite being a failure.

When they finally crossed the threshold into Konohagakure, the ROOT ninja quietly dispersed into the night, leaving Team Seven. Florence looked like he wanted to say something, approaching Sakura, but a tug on the arm from his sister had him leaping off with her.

"...hey, I should get going," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck and plastering on a sheepish grin. "I've gotta wake up early tomorrow if I want any hope of completing that Wind Jutsu before Kakashi has my hide. But, uh...stay safe on the way back to the compound, Sasuke." Naruto gave him a pointed look, a look that was not returned, as Sasuke looked spaced out as he stared at the floor. Naruto quickly and awkwardly detached himself from the trio, jumping off and away onto the flickering streetlights.

There was only a moment of silence with the two before Sakura spoke up. "Sasuke, let me walk you home."

"How did you take that ninja out?"

The Haruno startled at the sudden question over the literal day of silence from him. Rather than answer, she deflected it as they sprung into a walk towards the Uchiha compound. "I thought I told you to find Naruto immediately."

Sasuke ignored her and continued on with his own train of thought. "That couldn't have been purely chakra control. I wasn't aware you had the reserves for that, and that sort of hard-hitting move is Tsunade Senju levels of perfection."

The pinkette involuntary let out a surprised gasp at the woman's name; her mentor's name. She hasn't heard from her in so _long._ She felt a surge of homesickness at the thought.

At the gasp, Sasuke stopped in his tracks, facing Sakura who also stopped. "I've been researching fighting styles similar to yours that center around chakra control, and the only one reminiscent is of Tsunade Senju, who hasn't been here since the Nine-Tails' attack on the village. I bring up her name, and you react as though you know something about her I don't. What's up with that?" He questions her quickly. It's clearly been plaguing him all day.

If Sakura deflected this question, too, her relationship with Tsunade would be a whole lot more suspicious. She needs an excuse. "I read about her a lot; she was the reason I focused my fighting style around the use of pure chakra, like she did with her own."

Sasuke frowned; he wasn't satisfied just yet but decided to drop it. "But despite all of this, what I really want to know is...how I compare to you."

This time, it was Sakura who frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"For a while now, you've been catching up to Naruto and I fast in terms of physical strength and skill. And to be honest, I...can't cope with how I seem to be at a standstill. I need to get stronger now, and while I appreciate your help it's just simply not fast enough. My _brother_ -..." Sasuke cut himself off, and for good reason. Sakura doesn't think either of them could handle that conversation right now.

He continued. "I just need to know how close you are to me or how far behind I am to you; I need a place to start," he explained. The way he put his pride aside, acknowledging the fact that he wasn't the strongest was admirable. Though, it must have come from something.

"The ambush shook you up more than you'd like to admit, didn't it?" Sakura ventured.

Sasuke looked torn between responding, but eventually settled with a hesitant, quiet "...yeah. Yeah, it did."

Despite the thick stillness, Sakura placed a comforting hand on Sasuke's shoulder, her wrist completely healed. "It happens to the best of us. You couldn't have known. You couldn't have reacted-"

Sasuke sucked on his teeth. "But you did, didn't you? Using only your chakra, you located the enemy's signature, tailed them and slowed them down in only a few hits. You're intelligent, quick to respond, and tough. And right now, I'm just not enough."

"You're enough for me!"

"I'm not enough for myself. Which is why I ask this.."

His next words, like a lot of Sasuke's actions recently, Sakura could have never expected.

 _"Tomorrow morning, I want to spar against you with everything you've got."_

There was an awaiting silence before Sakura whispered, "Sasuke, we both know you're stronger than me-"

" _No_ , we don't. I don't know what I know anymore, and I can't ask any more questions because I promised I wouldn't. This is the only thing that will be set in stone for me, because nowadays a lot of things are still up in the air when it comes to you." He ranted, but didn't attempt to fish for info. "Sakura, _please_. Right now, I just need to know."

Sakura stared at him through furrowed brows, and he met her gaze with neutral, but tired and almost pleading eyes.

 _'All of this is so out of character. He's worrying me.'_

Resolve breaking under his stare, the Haruno conceded. "...I'll spar you. But for now, can I please just walk you home?"

He nodded, and the rest of the walk was uneventful from there. Sakura followed the Uchiha into the compound, and she felt a burst of paranoia. "You're sure you're okay sleeping here all by yourself?"

"I've done it for the last twelve years. Your point?" His response was snappy, but not offended, and Sakura felt a little better now that he's beginning to go back to his normal, aloof self.

"Can I at least leave a clone with you before I go? I'd hate to not know you're safe."

"That's a drain on your already drained reserves. Don't think so."

As they stopped at Sasuke's front door, he paused just as he was about to shut the door before her. "Hey...it's already really dark out. You should just sleep here instead of making the walk back to your house."

Sakura raised a dubious eyebrow and made no move to leave his porch. "So you reject the harmless clone, but would rather have a real me around? You need to get your priorities straight."

A habitual scowl formed on his face. "Take it or leave it, Sakura."

She pretended to weigh her options, and Sasuke leaned on the doorframe impatiently. "I mean, I _guess_ I could wait out the night." She laughed at her own antics. "Thanks."

Sasuke smirked and opened the door further to let her in. "Anytime."

The door closed, and a new day began.


End file.
